It's You All Along
by i dont knwo
Summary: He was moving back to Miami from L.A., and his career is beginning to be irrelevant, the last thing he needed was a "babysitter". Her parents are getting divorced and her mom is moving to Africa. Now she is left with the job of "babysitting" a seventeen year old. They never expected to meet in such unconventional circumstances. Auslly. AU. A little bit OOC. Rated T just in case.
1. New Acquaintance

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin&amp;Ally, all rights go to the Creators.**

**Enjoy!  
**

**This is an Prologue kind of chapter, like an introductory chapter so not much Auslly but shows the plot of the story.**

* * *

_~ Well, some nights I wish that this all would end 'cause I could use some friends for a change ~ _

_/ fun. 'Some Nights' /_

* * *

Chapter 1: New Acquaintance.

"Mom, come on!" Austin whined as he followed his mom around the dinning room "I don't want or need a babysitter! For crying out loud, I'm seventeen years old! Not to mention a teen pop sensation, what would my fans think if they find out that I have a babysitter."

"Oh, come on, honey it's not as bad as you think it is." Mimi Moon told him.

"How can it not be bad, mom?" he argued back "You're basically saying that you don't trust me to be alone in the house!"

"Austin Monica Moon, don't talk to your mother like that." his dad, Mike Moon, called from the living room.

Austin winced at the mention of his full name- yes, his middle name is 'Monica'- deal with it.

His mom led him to the living room, where Austin sat across his parents. He wasn't particularly happy with them right now, especially when they just told him that he'll be having a babysitter. Who would be when you're seventeen years old?

Mimi sighed "Look, honey, we trust you but we just don't want you hanging around the house alone. Besides it's more of an acquaintanceship than a babysitting service."

Austin stared at his parents, did they really think that he can't make friends on his own? Heck, he's Austin Moon! He could make anyone his friend, plus he already has one- Dez and he is Austin's best friend. Even though they haven't seen each other in years, they kept in touch with each other and Dez was more than happy when he found out that Austin was moving back to Miami. The Redhead went to his house the day Austin arrived.

He shook his head "I won't be all alone, mom," he told them "I have Dez." he said matter of factly.

"Yes, we know that son, but what if he's not around? Dez can't always be around to hang out with you- he has a life of his own, Austin." his dad said.

"Uh, no, he doesn't. I know Dez and all he ever does is eat, sleep, play and watch Zaliens movies."

His parents sighed and looked at him with eyes full of concern.

"That was when you were young, Austin." Mike said "Dez is going to be a Senior in High school by Monday when school officially starts, I'm pretty sure he's gonna be a very busy person."

"Then why not send me to High school too? That way I won't be all alone in the house- I won't even be in the house." he suggested. He really did want to go to High school. He missed going to school, even if that meant he has to study some crap that he won't even need in his later life. He doesn't need any of those because he already has his future set for him; he's in a 10 year contract with Starr Records, a modeling job from Jean Paul Paul Jean, and a few movie projects with Spike Stevens.

But High school(Senior Year, to be exact) just sounded so good to him- it was bad enough that he missed almost most of his Middle school when his career shot up and then the whole of his High school after that. He'll just feel sorry for himself if he missed Senior year too- if he missed being just a normal teenager.

It would be nice for him to at least once experience being a normal, care-free teenager that doesn't have to worry what his next single will be or when he'll have his next tour or keeping his reputation good for the media or worry about paparazzi abusing his personal space. It would be nice to him to just feel like everybody else. Was that too much to ask?

"You know, we can't do that, son." his dad snapped him out of his thoughts. "Jimmy doesn't want you to attract attention while here in Miami. And sending you to school would attract you attention- a lot of attention. From crazed teenage girls and reporters." Mike added matter of factly.

A grimace formed in his face. He knew it was a long shot- but it was worth the try, right?

Mimi reached for his hand and clutched it tightly "We know how hard it is for you now, it's hard for us too, little prince, but I promise it will get better. Once you get used to it, and I'm sure Ally will do a great job baby- I mean, accompanying you." she smiled at him "We've already met her and she is very nice and smart, maybe she could even tutor you. If you really want to learn that badly."

Austin's eyes went wide "Her? You mean, my babysitter- I mean, acquaintance is a girl?!"

He was starting to panic, he had a gut feeling that he won't enjoy his time with the "Babysitter". What if she was one of his crazy fans who would keep his strands of hair? He'd never even survive a day with a crazy fangirl. Not that he didn't like any of his fans, it was just that sometimes(most of the time) some of them(a lot of them) would go over board and go nuts about him and frankly, it kinda scared Austin- what with all the lengths these girls would do just to see him or touch him- some even wanted to smell him.

"Well, of course, she's a girl. Most babysitters are girls."

His mind raced for a loophole- for an excuse not to have a girl babysitter.

Then the idea came to him "Don't you think it's a bad idea to leave me, your seventeen year old _hormonal_ son, alone in the house with a _girl_ babysitter."

His dad chuckled at him "Oh, none sense son, Ally is a nice and smart girl and you're a nice and smart boy, too. I think nothing bad will happen, but if you are worried about it, then we'll have 'The Talk' tonight, okay?" he added.

Austin groaned exasperatedly, covering his face with both his hands "Oh, great, now I'm in more trouble..." he muttered to himself. "Can't you at least reconsider sending me to High school?" he asked with a beat up tone, looking up hopefully at his parents. But they shook their heads at him again.

"Look, Austin, you only have two choices," he could hear that his father was starting to lose his temper "it's either you come with us to work everyday-"

"And be our little prince in the Kingdom- not that you aren't already." Mimi grinned at him.

_'Kingdom_,_' _Austin inwardly scoffed _'__They make it sound like it's a real palace. For the love of God, it's a Mattress factory!'_

"Or you could agree to have a babysitter." Mike finished.

Austin let out an exasperated sigh. He really doesn't have a choice- and he would rather spend time with a babysitter than hang around his parents' Mattress factory. Don't get the wrong idea, Austin loves his parents, they are really supportive of his dreams and his career and they are loving and caring but sometimes they just tend to treat him like a 7 year old kid and that kinda annoyed him and embarrassed as well(most of the time when he's around girls).

"Guess I'm going to have a babysitter..." he said sarcastically although he tried to sound genuinely happy for the sake of his parents.

"Okay!" Mimi stood up, clapping her hands together before giving him a hug. "I'm sure you're gonna get along with Ally well, you two are of the same age..."

Austin tensed at what his mom said. _'Could this get any more worse?' _he asked himself.

When his mom pulled away from him, Mike put a hand on his shoulder "Now, how about we have that talk."

His face scrunched up "Do we really have to?" he groaned.

Mike nodded "It's okay, son, you don't have to be shy. I had the talk with your grandfather when I was about your age too!" then he led him upstairs as Mimi giggled at her son and husband.

_'Ugh! Why did we have to move back to Miami?!' _he told himself. _'This is going to be one _long _night.'_

* * *

Ally walked inside their house, tiredly; she had to close Sonic Boom today because her dad told her that he and her mother were discussing something- which by the tone her dad told her, it wasn't good.

And they had a busy day at Sonic Boom, she even had to tend to last minute costumers- they were these Blonde couple, both were probably in their mid-30s. They were nice and they were looking for a new guitar for their son. She showed them the new Red guitar that was just delivered a few days ago and they said that they would pre-order it now because they still have to talk to their son about it.

After that she quickly closed the shop and went home. All she really wanted now was to go to sleep- it had been one hell of month for her, literally. She has been going through hell for the past month, it was probably the worst days of her life- and she was only seventeen years old!

As she head upstairs to her room, Ally's dad, who just came out of the living room approached her.

"Ally, honey, can you go to the living room? Your mother and I have something to tell you."

Ally stopped and looked at her dad with droopy eyes but nonetheless, going down the steps of the stairs.

He helped her down that stairs "But if you want, you could change clothes first." her dad, Lester Dawson, told her.

She shook her head "No. It's okay, dad..." she replied following her dad to the living room.

"Hello, dear." her mom, Penny Dawson, said as she gave her daughter a tight hug "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay..." she shrugged.

"You see, I told you she's okay, Penny." her dad said.

"No, she's not, Lester, she looks tired." her mom shot back, cupping Ally's face with her hands and examining her face before staring at her ex-husband(well, almost- their divorce papers are still not finished). "And that's because you made her close the store for you."

"I'm okay, mom." Ally smiled reassuringly, squeezing her mom's hand and setting it away from her face.

"Are you sure, honey?"

Ally nodded as she sat down at one of the couches. "So, um... dad said that you wanted to talk to me about something..."

Lester and Penny exchanged nervous glances before sighing and sitting directly across her.

Her mom eyed her very carefully before speaking up "Ally, honey, I know things have been really tough on you for a while now," Penny started "what with all these problems going around you, but I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you."

Ally just nodded in reply. She knew, by the way her mother talked that something was happening, something that would probably only just add up to the stress she's already been going through.

"And we want you to keep an open mind about what we're about to tell you." Lester added.

"O-okay..." she cautiously said, looking from her mom to her dad "But just to make sure... mom is _not_ pregnant, right? Because if she is, well, that's a _whole_ new problem." she joked, trying to lighten the grim atmosphere around them.

Her parents chuckled at her and shook their heads. "No, your mother is not pregnant, honey." her dad reassured her.

"Oh, good."

"But there's something we want to tell you..." her mom continued "Now, I don't know how you will take this because it's not so much of a good thing than a bad thing..."

"Honestly, I've been getting used to hearing bad news lately that I don't even see how things could go worse than this. So, just tell me..." Ally told them, shrugging.

"Okay... I didn't think you'd be this optimistic but okay," Lester said, staring at Ally "As your mom had told you before, we are both so proud of you and we are very lucky to have you as our daughter- we couldn't have asked for a better one because you are the perfect daughter for us."

Thoughts- grim thoughts- started to form in Ally's mind; her parents sure are being extra cautious about the news they are telling her, they're talking to her like she was a child again that they don't want to upset. And frankly, it scared her. Maybe she was wrong, maybe it could get even worse.

"And we are very sorry, if we are dumping all these stress and problems on you at such a young age," he continued "But as you know, your mother and I still yet have to finish our divorce papers and that really costs a lot. She's also going to Africa this year and that too costs us a lot and it requires us- all of us- to work hard and have steady jobs. But don't worry, you are not going to stop school." he reassured her before she even thought of it. Her parents knew how important education is to Ally and so they wouldn't dare pull her out of school, especially that she'll be a senior this school year.

"Okay," she sighed in relief "So, does this mean that I won't get any salary for working at Sonic Boom or do I have to get a new job?"

"No, we won't take away your salary- you deserve that" her mom answered "We will still give you your monthly allowance and salary."

"Really? We will?" her dad pouted at Penny which made Ally laugh at her mother's baffled expression. She had to admit, even though she loves her dad so much, sometimes(most of the time) he could get really cheap.

"Yes, we will, Lester." Penny glared at him.

"Okay..." he sighed in defeat "But maybe we could at least decrease her salary..." he added but that only got him another glare from his ex-wife.

Ally chuckled and then turned to her mother "So, you want me to get another job?" she asked.

Penny nodded "Yes, if it's not too much for you..."

Ally smiled at her mom "Okay, then I'll get another job." she tried her best to sound happy about it(and she only slightly failed). She didn't want to tell her parents that she couldn't get another job because it would weigh down on her even more(working at Sonic Boom alone gets her tired) and just add more stress to her than she already have, and that would affect her so much, but she didn't want to hurt their feelings or disappoint them. So, she'll just do it, anyway.

"Okay!" her mom smiled at her "But you don't have to look for one, anymore."

"Really? Why?"

"Because I got you a babysitting job, it pays good and this time it's permanent. Although, it would be from Mondays to Fridays, it would only be a couple of hours after your school."

"Okay, that's great! I love kids! So, who will I babysit? Is it Nelson again? Or Megan?"

"Well, you know that new family that moved here last week- the Moons." Ally nodded "Well, they want you to babysit their son." her mom replied.

"That should be easy. I've babysat quite a few boys so, it shouldn't be that bad. How bad can this boy get..."

"Yeah, but here's the catch," Lester grimaced at her "He's not so much of a kid..."

Ally frowned "What do you mean? Is he like 13 or 14, 'cause I can handle that dad. I've babysat JJ once for Trish, and he wasn't that bad." she confidently said.

Her dad tensed while her mom avoided her gaze "Well, no." he told her "He's seventeen years old."

She just stared at them. Not registering what her parents had told her. _'He must be joking, right?' _her mind told her. Who would need a babysitter at the age of seventeen?! That's just weird and totally unconventional.

"I-I don't understand," she stammered, still not believing a single word her dad told her "This is a joke, right? No seventeen year old needs a babysitter." she said more to herself than to her parents- trying to convince herself that her parents were just messing with her.

"Well, apparently, this one does." Mr. Dawson joked, chuckling a little but immediately stopped when Penny slapped his shoulder.

"No, this is not a joke, princess." he cleared his throat.

"Well, then if it's not a joke then- then he must be a retard. Right?" she stuttered, struggling to cope up wit the situation. "Please tell me he's a retard." she didn't want to sound rude but she just couldn't believe that she was going to babysit a boy the same age as her- like, what kind of a troublesome, spoiled brat of a teenager is he that he needs a babysitter?!

"He's not a retard, honey." her mom said sheepishly "He's just a normal teenager."

"Who needs a babysitter! No normal teenager needs a babysitter, mom!"

"I know this seems hard to believe but I've talked to the Moons and they are very nice people." Penny said "They just need someone to accompany their son while they're at work."

"Why? He's going to school isn't he? I mean, we are the same age, so he must go to school. So, why do they need a babysitter?"

"He doesn't go to school." she shook her head "They said he was in some kind of special condition."

"So, he is a retard!" Ally exclaimed "Or maybe worse, maybe he's a psychopath! I can't babysit a psychopath!" she stared incredulously at her parents.

Her parents chuckled and shook their heads at her.

"The Moon's son is not a retard or a psychopath, honey." her mom sighed in exasperation. "Besides, you'll be more of an acquaintance than a babysitter to him."

"I can't believe this!" Ally huffed, throwing her hands up in frustration "First, you tell me that you two are getting divorced then you tell me that mom's going to Africa! And now, I'm going to babysit a seventeen year old boy who may or may not be a retard or a psychopath!" she finally finished with a small squeak.

Her parents looked at her apologetically. Ally could tell that they didn't want her to do the babysitting job but it was all Penny and Lester could come up with to help them with their finances- the Moons said that they would pay high enough if Ally does good in babysitting- accompanying- their son.

And again, Ally found herself not being able to resist her parents' plea. She loves them so much that she couldn't bare the thought of denying their request- it's the least she could do to repay all the hard work they had to endure just to give her an easy and happy life. So, she has to take the job. If it means it will take away the burden of them going into a financial crisis then she'll do it. All she had to do is endure the pain of babysitting a spoiled teenage boy- how bad can that be, right? He probably doesn't even need Ally.

"Ally?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and gazed at her parents. They seem to really want her to do the job. So, she nodded. "Okay, I'll do it." she sighed.

"Really?" they grinned at her widely. They just looked so happy that she agreed to do it.

Ally nodded again and before she knew it, she was engulfed in a tight hug by her mom and dad. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to babysit a seventeen year old. _'So, long as he's not a jerk.'_ she thought as she pulled away from her parents and head up to her room.

"I'll just be in my room, if you guys want to break more bad news to me." she called before vanishing upstairs.

* * *

After Austin had 'The Talk' with his dad(which was probably the longest hour of his life), he headed to his room, laying down in his bed to think about what has happened for the past week for him.

And that was a lot; first, he had to move from L.A. back to Miami again because his parents' Mattress Factory is being re-launched after it's five year anniversary. Then he had to make a deal with Jimmy, his record producer, that he is not supposed to be exposed while in Miami for the year, so as to protect his reputation.

He didn't really think that moving back to Miami would be that bad because he did live there when he was young- they only moved to L.A. when he was thirteen because he really wanted to become a big superstar and then after a few years he got his dreams. By the age of fifteen he had already released his début album and it was a big hit all around the world. When he turned sixteen he had his first ever National tour- which by the way was great- it ended just as he turned seventeen.

He thought of all the places that he'd been, all the people he met. He was having the time of his life in that tour, he thought that it would never end but then again, all good things must come to an end and unfortunately for him, that was when he found out that they will be moving back to Miami.

From then on, everything went downhill: rumors of him going to retire started going around, critiques and reporters started dubbing him as a one-hit-wonder, even some of his fans had turned against him.

And now, just when he thought things couldn't get worse, he was going to have a 'babysitter' or 'acquaintance' as his mom had told him. A 'babysitter'(acquaintance) that was the same age as he is and of the opposite gender.

Now, it would've sounded so inviting to Austin that they'll have a seventeen year old babysitter, if she wasn't babysitting him. Like come on, it would probably lessen his chances with the babysitter(if she was hot) and what would the babysitter think once she finds out that she'll be "babysitting" a seventeen year old pop sensation.

That thought made Austin cringe.

"Ugh! Where did I go wrong?" he asked himself as he covered his face with a pillow.

He heard his door open and felt someone sit by the foot of his bed.

"Here I bought you a Cookie Dough ice cream earlier," it was his mom "Just don't tell Jimmy or your vocal coach I bought you one. I knew you'd be really upset about having a babysitter."

"Thanks, mom." he said as he sat up and took the cup of ice cream and spoon from his mother. Then he started devouring the cold yet sweet delicacy.

"Thank you, too." Austin gave his mom an odd look, his mouth still full of ice cream so he couldn't talk properly. "For being so understanding and accepting to have a baby- uh, I mean, acquaintance." she answered Austin's confused look.

"It's the least I could do," he replied as he swallowed a spoonful of Cookie Dough ice cream "You and dad supported me with my dreams, you guys gave up the being here in Miami to manage the factory to make my dreams come true, it's only right for me to repay that by agreeing with your decisions. I know that you only want what's best for me."

"Oh, Austin." Mimi said before giving him a tight hug "You're such a sweet young man. Now, that's the little prince that I know and love." she pulled away, pinching his cheek.

"Mom!" he whined again- he hated it when she calls him 'little prince'.

Mimi chucked as she stood up "I'll just leave you to yourself." she smiled at him, ruffling his already messy Blonde hair "Let you have peace with your Cookie Dough ice cream."

He just nodded in reply, still devouring the cup of ice cream.

"Goodnight, little prince." she said as she closed his door "I love you."

"'Night, mom. Love you too." he called before his door shut close.

After he finished his ice cream his mom gave him, Austin laid back down in his bed, setting the spoon and cup on his bedside table.

He started to drift off to sleep, not caring that he hadn't yet changed to his pajamas- he was just so full to even care about it. And although, he was still pretty glum about the whole babysitting thing, he tried to think of good outcomes about it. Like maybe, he could really hit it off with the babysitter and have a lot of common things with her and they'll be friends(that way, she's more likely to hang out with him than to babysit him).

_'Plus she could be really attractive.'_ a voice inside his head added.

Those thoughts made Austin smile as he sunk deeper into sleep.

Maybe, just maybe, this whole babysitting situation wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

"Ally, dear?" Penny said, opening the door of her room. Inside she saw her daughter, already changed into her pajamas and was now sitting at the chair in front of her study table, eyebrows furrowed as she try to study a topic in Physics that she'll probably learn later that year. Next to the Physics book was her Black, almost worn out, Songbook/Diary/Journal. It was already closed so, Penny figured her daughter had already finished her entry for the day- it was probably all about how she was going to babysit a seventeen year old.

Although, she didn't bother to ask Ally about it since she knows how protective her daughter could get over her book. 'Don't touch my book!' the Brunette would always say before swatting away the hand that was going for her book.

"Ally?" she said again and this time, Ally's attention was diverted to her mother. Her head shot up and smiled at her mom.

"Oh, hi mom." Ally responded, closing her Physics book and standing up from her chair. "Is everything okay? Do you need something? Are you here to break more bad news to me?" she started rambling "Oh, no, you really are pregnant, aren't you?" her eyes bulged out of its socket.

"Everything is okay, honey, and I am not pregnant." her mom chuckled at her frantic expression, walking towards her "I just wanted to give you this," then she set down a bowl of Fruity Mint Swirl ice cream- her favorite- on her study table.

Ally let out a happy squeal and gave her mother a quick hug before getting the spoon and bowl of ice cream "Thanks, mom." she said after swallowing her first spoon of the sweet delicacy.**  
**

Her mom smiled "It's our little sorry and thank you gift. For agreeing to do the babysitting job." she finished before Ally could ask any questions.

She returned the smile "It's okay mom. It's the least I could do to help you guys, I know it's been hard for you and dad, too." she took another bite on her Fruity Mint Swirl Ice Cream.

There was a moment of silence between them as Ally finished the ice cream.

When she set down the bowl on her study table, Ally was met by one her mom's hug. Penny enveloped her in a tight hug.

"Sometimes I forget that you're only seventeen years old." her mom muttered to her ear, genuinely and sincerely "You're so smart and brave and mature."**  
**

"I only am because you and dad raised me well. I owe it all to you and dad."

"I'm so proud of you." she continued as she pull away to gaze at Ally "You've done so many things other girls your age couldn't even think of doing. And I'm so thankful that you're my daughter. You're the perfect daughter any mother could have asked for."

"You're spoiling me, mom." she chuckled.

"You deserve a little spoiling, after all the things you've done for us." her mom then led her to her bed and made her lie down in it. "Now, go to sleep. You can learn the trajectory of a ball some other day. You need to rest." Penny then tucked her into bed.

"But I'm not tired, mom." Ally whined like a little kid.

"Yes, you are." her mom countered, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Now, go to sleep. And don't even think of getting up when I leave your room." she knew Ally too well.

Her mom then took the spoon and empty bowl of ice cream and head out of her daughter's room.

"I love you so much, princess." she told her as she turned off the lights of her room and close the door "Sleep well."

"Goodnight, mom. I love you, too."

Ally smiled to herself as her eyelids begin to get heavy and she started to fall asleep, probably an effect of the Fruity Mint Swirl Ice Cream that she had- it always had that effect on her, it never failed to make her feel better when she was down. But even though the ice cream helped her cheer up she was still a little glum about babysitting a seventeen year old, but she knew it'll be well worth it once the job pays off.

She kept that thought in mind as she lost consciousness and went into a deep slumber.

And who knows, maybe she'll end up really liking the whole babysitting thing.

* * *

**A/N: ****Okayyyyyyyy, hey! Look at that I finally finished the first chapter! I really hope you guys liked it! This is more of an introduction chapter- just to, you know, get the whole idea of the story. Which is basically, Ally is going to be Austin's babysitter. That's really just it... or is it? *evil grin* *wink, wink* Hahahahaha! =DDDDD ****Guess you guys just have to find out about that as the story progresses. Hopefully, I've done a good enough job to make you want to read more of the story. I also threw in some parallel sort of thingy between the scenes with Austin and Ally just to get this dynamic kind of vibe between them(I don't know if that made sense, but I'll just put it in anyway). **

**To be honest with you guys, I'm quite proud of this fic. I have a great feeling about how this will turn out. For one thing, I already have everything planned out, that's because I had all summer to think about it and I'm already done with the second and third chapter(So, it wouldn't take long for me to update this) and I'm also already finishing the fourth chapter and starting with the fifth chapter.  
**

**Anyway, enough of that. This is kind of an AU sort of fic because obviously, Austin and Ally meets in a VERY different situation. That's it for now, guys! I really hope you liked this. Tell me what you think about it in the reviews. Rated K+ cause I'm pretty sure nothing too violent or sexual will happen all throughout the story.  
**

**Also, I have other A&amp;A fics that you could check out if you want. If you have any questions about the story you can always PM and I'll try my best to answer them, I promise I don't bite. Thanks again! =D**

**Up Next: Austin and Ally will finally meet. ;)**

**~Lou**


	2. The Moons and the Dawsons

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin&amp;Ally, all rights go to the Creators.**

**Enjoy!**

**Austin and Ally finally meet in this one, so there's a little bit more Auslly.  
**

* * *

_~ This is the story of how they met ~_

_/ Fall Out Boy 'Where Did The Party Go?' /_

* * *

Chapter 2: The Moons and the Dawsons.

The next morning, Ally woke up from the smell of pancakes and chocolate chip cookies. She knew her mom had cooked the meal and it smelled good. So, she quickly hopped off of her bed and took a quick shower, not wanting to keep her mom's amazing cooking into hold. She seemed to have forgotten the events of the previous day, she certainly wished that it wasn't true but of course, it was true.

After she changed her clothes, Ally dashed downstairs to their kitchen, where she saw her mom cooking pancakes and her dad reading a newspaper or rather, looking for promo tickets and free coupons on the newspaper. A smile formed in Ally's lips as she saw her parents peacefully in the room- it was like they weren't even divorced(well, they still aren't but they were getting there). For one thing, Penny still lived with them.

"Good morning!" she greeted her parents, inhaling the sweet smell of the breakfast her mom is making.

"Good morning, dear." her mom replied, turning to her as she flip over the last batch of pancakes "Slept well, last night?" she asked.

"Yes, I did actually." she nodded "Thanks for the Ice Cream, mom."

"Glad to hear that you're taking everything, well." her dad said, giving her a side hug and planting a kiss at the top of her head.

"I'll be even better if I get to eat these delicious cookies and pancakes." Ally said, sitting down on a stool by the counter, where two dozens of cookies and stacks of pancakes were placed, and rubbing her hands together looking menacingly at the delicious meal in front of her.

"Oh, no." Penny shook her head, wagging a finger at her "Not yet."

Ally frowned "Aw, why? I'm hungry..."

Her parents chuckled at her saddened expression.

"We're not eating here today." Lester told her.

"Then why did mom make so many pancakes?"

"Because we're going to the Moons' house today." her mom replied as she put the stacks of pancakes in a plastic container "We are going to have breakfast with them, so you know, you and their son could get to know each other."

"Okay," she shrugged "But can I at least have a pickle?"

"Go ahead," her mom smiled at her "Take as many as you want. Just make sure you still have room for the pancakes and cookies."

"Thank you!" she jeered like a 7 year old as she reached for the pickle jar on the counter. She only took one from the jar and then took a bite at it.

The Dawsons soon headed out of their house to head for the Moons' residence.

"You ready, honey?" Lester asked her as they went inside their family car.

Ally shrugged "I think so..." she muttered.

The car pulled out to the street. The drive to the Moons' house wasn't long since the house was just a few streets away from their house. The ride to the Moons was fairly silent yet still comfortable, even though Ally was still kinda dreading it, she could tell that her parents were genuinely happy(excited even) about them meeting the Moons. So, she tried her best to be happy too, well optimistic about it to say the least.

When they finally reached the Moons' house there was only one thing that went through Ally's mind.

'_They're rich._' she thought as she stared gaping at the beautiful mansion in front of them '_Very rich._'

The house was big- three stories high(there was even a terrace at the very top)- and very much white. She recognized the house as the one house she'd always dreamed of having when she was younger- she used to come by the house often when she was young, checking if it was occupied- it hasn't been for quite a while. It also had a wide front lawn and a large gate, which is the only thing separating them and the big house.

Then Lester turned to enter the house, the gate of the house automatically opened, its closed gates creaking open to let their car inside the residence. Her dad parked the car and they got out.

As Ally walked to the front porch of the house- no, it wasn't a house, it was a mansion- she noticed that the driveway was connected to a back garden and that the front lawn was connected to a open hallway, she figured it would lead down to a basement or something like that.

They stopped in front of the front doors(yeah, doors because it was a tall wooden double door), her parents were at either side of her and then her dad rang the doorbell.

A few seconds later, someone opened the door. It was a woman in her mid-30's, she had straight Blonde hair and large Blue eyes. Ally thought that she'd seen her somewhere. Just then another person approached them. This time it was a man about the same age as the woman, his eyes were Brown and his hair was Brown with a few Graying streaks.

"Honey, are they here?" the man asked.

Then that's when it hit Ally- they were the same couple who had asked her about the new red guitar yesterday.

The blonde woman smiled at them as her husband reached her side. "Hello, Penny! Lester!" she greeted them. The adults hugged while Ally just stood there, quite uncomfortably.

When Ally's mom pulled away from the woman, she gestured at Ally "And this is Ally. Honey, this is Mike Moon and his wife Mimi Moon." Penny pointed at the two adults.

Mimi pulled Ally into a tight hug "Hello, Ally!"

Ally was taken aback by Mimi's action and just stood awkwardly as the older woman hugged her. "Oh, uh... h-hi..."

Mimi noticed her uneasiness and pulled away. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you, dear. I'm just really glad that you agreed to do this."

"Oh, um... it's, uh- it's okay... I guess..."

"Well, why don't we all go inside and have breakfast." Mike Moon interrupted, ushering the Dawsons inside their house.

"I brought pancakes and cookies." her mom remarked as they reached the dinning room. Ally couldn't believe her eyes- the house was even more beautiful inside. The furnitures were plain but she could tell that they were very expensive; the floor was made of marble and were very shiny and clean. The walls were bare, probably because they had just moved in.

They immediately started breakfast when Ally's mom and Mimi finished preparing the food her mom made and the food Mimi made. Coincidentally, Mrs. Moon also made a lot of pancakes.

"Wow, that's a lot of pancakes..." Ally commented, staring at the stacks of pancakes her mom and Mimi placed on the table.

"Oh, I think this is more than enough- Austin really likes pancakes." Mimi said.

'_Austin? That must be his name..._' she thought as she dig in on her food. _  
_

After a few minutes and a few pancakes, Ally asked Mrs. Moon if they had some pickles since she was craving for one.

"Oh, yes, dear. I think we have one jar in the fridge." Mimi answered "You can just go check in the kitchen." she pointed to the kitchen that was connected to the dining room.

Ally nodded as she stood up to head to the kitchen "Thank you." she smiled at her before she disappeared to the kitchen.

* * *

The sound of his mom knocking rapidly at his door woke Austin up from his deep slumber.

"Austin, get up!" his mom cried "Take a bath, change your clothes and go down immediately. The Dawsons would be here any moment now."

"I'm up, mom. Stop ramming at my door." he grumbled as he willed himself up, but to no avail although, his eyes were wide open. None of what his mother told him made sense to him nor did it register to his mind. So, he did none of it. Instead, he just laid awake in his bed, trying to recall what had occurred the previous day and trying not to fall asleep again.

He heard the doorbell rang and echo around their really big house.

That was among one of the weirdest things Austin discovered when they got back to Miami- their house was enormous but only him and his parents will live there, it didn't made sense to him as to why they had to live in a big house. Couldn't they just live at their old house that they had when they first lived there? He liked that house, it was home-y and welcoming while this house was just so bare and empty and really white, plus he had fun memories there with Dez along with some of his other friends that he didn't quite remember the names of- hey, he's had a very busy life for the past four years it was hard to keep up with everyone.

Of course, his parents had told him that some other family already lived in the house(they did sell the house when they moved to L.A.). So, naturally, they had to look for a new house and this was the house that his parents bought. It was too extravagant in his opinion which was contrary to Jimmy's request to keep his presence in Miami on the down-low.

After that he did wonder, for a short while who might be ringing their doorbell at such an early morning. Although, he quickly got bored of just laying down on his bed and staring at his ceiling that he just absent-mindedly went out of his room and went downstairs, completely ignoring his mother's instructions to him earlier on.

Then he suddenly remembered everything that happened the previous night. He was going to get a babysitter. Well, his parents are getting him one- it wasn't exactly his idea to get one.

'_But was that all really real?_' he asked himself as he made his way down the stairs '_Or was I just dreaming... well, it's more of a nightmare really..._'

Austin convinced himself that it was just a dream(he really didn't want a babysitter) but he had to make sure, so he made a mental note to ask his parents once he sees them.

As he entered the dining room, Austin saw his mom and dad already seated and two other people too, a man and a woman about the same age as his parents; the man had thin Graying hair and black eyes while the woman had Brown hair and Brown eyes. Although, he really couldn't careless since he thought they were possibly his parents business partners here in Miami or something- they must be the ones who rang their doorbell.

"Hey dad, I had the weirdest dream last night," he started "It was like you and mom were going to get me a babysitter and-" he abruptly stopped when someone emerged out of their kitchen.

That someone was a girl wearing a Navy Blue tank top, plain white ankle-length jeans and cream colored flats. She was holding a plate of pancakes on one hand and a jar of pickles on the other(which he thought was odd- those two don't go together).

But that wasn't what really caught his attention. What caught his attention was her long loosely curled Chestnut Brown with Caramel tipped hair, her Chocolate Brown doe eyes, her perfect small nose and pale yet slightly pinkish plump lips- he had to admit she was really cute. But that was it. Right?

Austin guessed that she about the same age as he is- seventeen years old- maybe a little bit younger, he couldn't really tell because she looked a bit short to be seventeen. Her body structure sure was.

That snapped him out of his thoughts.

"It wasn't a dream, wasn't it?" he sighed in defeat, looking from his mom to his dad.

They chuckled at him and shook their heads.

"Sorry, son," Mike stood up and put a hand on his shoulder "It wasn't a dream..."

"Yes, Austin, Ally is real. And here she is." his mom gestured at the Brunette.

"Um, hi..." the girl, Ally, smiled at him setting down the plate of pancakes and jar of pickles on the table. She held his hand out to him.

It took him a few seconds to respond to her but he finally shook her hand "Oh, um... hi..." her hand, he noticed, was soft and warm against his rough cold one.

He didn't want to let go of Ally's hand but Mimi cleared her throat and Austin dropped her hand, feeling the warmth of her hand leave his "Ally, this is our son, Austin. Austin this is Ally your uh... acquaintance..."

Thank goodness his mom didn't say "Babysitter" because that would definitely make things super awkward between them- not that it wasn't already awkward.

His mom then gestured at the two other people who were sitting at the other side of the table "And these is Ally's parents" she continued "Lester and Penny Dawson."

The two adults waved at him "Hello, Austin!" Lester stood up and walked towards him "Nice to finally meet you."

Austin shook his hand and smiled at him.

But then his attention was drawn back to Ally, as she took a seat beside his mom and start eating the pancakes. He looked around the table, the only unoccupied seat was at the end of the table- by Ally's left. Guess he was going to sit there.

He made his way to his seat and noticed the piles of pancakes and platter of cookies on the table.

"Oh, pancakes! Cookies! Awesome!" he exclaimed, quickly getting a plate and pilling it with loads of pancakes and a few chocolate chip cookies.

"You should thank Mrs. Dawson for those, Austin." his mom told him "She made those cookies and pancakes."

"Thanks, Mrs. Dawson." he choked out as he swallowed half a pancake with one bite.

"You're welcome, Austin but your mom made some of the pancakes as well. And call me Penny."

"Really? Well, thanks too mom!" he replied as he took another bite of the pancakes and then munched on a cookie "These are amazing Mrs.- I mean, Penny."

"I'm glad you like them."

Austin could feel the adults' eyes leave him as they speak to each other again but not Ally's eyes. He could just feel her Chocolate Brown eyes stare at him as he devoured the breakfast her mom made, although, he didn't really care that much that she was staring at him. He figured she knew who he is because he's teen pop sensation, Austin Moon and she was probably a fan of his(yeah, that's his Ego speaking) plus the pancakes were just too good for him to even mind her staring at him.

Well, at least he wasn't at all wrong about his assumptions as to why Ally was staring at him. Ally sat in her chair, staring at Austin Moon for only three reasons: One, he's Austin Moon, the teen pop sensation everybody has been talking about for the past year or so(even though, she wasn't a fan of him, she has listened to a few of his songs- they were okay; she felt that he could do better in her opinion); Two, he was eating the pancakes and cookies her mom made like a maniac, and he talked with food still in his mouth(which she really hate); and Three, because he was kind of cute(even if he looked like he just got up from his bed).

A few moments later, Ally finally tore her gaze away from him- she noticed that after she looked away from him, he started to look at her for a second. Although, she just shrugged it off and started chewing at a pickle.

'_Seriously?!_' Austin asked himself as Ally ate the pickle. '_She's going to eat pickles right after she ate those amazing pancakes._' He shook his head- why would he care if she ate pickles after eating pancakes? It was none of his business. So, he continued finishing his last pancake.

An eerie silence lingered between the two teens as their parents continued on with their discussion. It was also no secret that both of them weren't exactly enjoying their time.

"Austin, honey, why don't you show Ally around the house." Mimi told him as she noticed the uncanny silence of the two teens. "So, she could familiarize herself here."

Austin just nodded in reply and started to head upstairs, only to stop at the foot of the stairs realizing that the Brunette had not followed him. She looked from him to her parents, unsure if she should go with the Blonde boy.

"It's okay, dear." Penny smiled at her "Go with Austin."

Ally nodded and got up from her chair, heading towards where Austin was.

When she reached him by the foot of the stairs, he started to climb up the stairs and she followed him suit.

An awkward silence dawned upon them on their way to the second floor of the house. Both wanted to break the silence but neither knew how or what to say.

'_Seriously? Is he really not going to say anything?_' Ally thought as she stared at Austin's back.

They reached the flight to the second floor and he headed for his room(which was the first door on the left side of the hallway) while she just continued to follow him. Before he entered his room, Austin abruptly turned which led to Ally bumping into his rather solid chest. He gazed down at her.

Ally pushed herself away from him "Sorry..." she quietly muttered, looking down at her shoes- she didn't think he'd be that built up.

He smirked but shook his head "Look, I don't really mean to sound rude or anything," he started "but I'm really in no mood to give you a tour or something. For one thing, I'm not exactly looking forward about this whole thing- it's not flattering to have some stranger 'babysit' me. It's not flattering to have a 'babysitter' period."

She looked up at him, finally getting rid of the weird feeling she got earlier when she bumped into him "Don't worry, the feeling is mutual." she replied, nonchalantly.

"Really?" he frowned at her(not that he was hurt or anything), he just didn't expect her to be so apathetic about it- about him.

"Do you really think I would want to babysit some seventeen year old stranger?"

'_Some stranger?!_' his Ego shouted at him '_I'm Austin Moon, everybody knows me! I'm not just 'some stranger'!_' but he chose to ignore it.

"So, why did you take the job?" he shot back.

"Because-" she started but immediately cut herself off, closing her mouth and thought to herself for a quick moment. Could she really tell him that she took the job because her family was on the verge into going to a financial crisis? Of course not.

"It's none of your business..." she shortly answered as he gave her an odd look.

"Whatever." he replied. Then he entered his room while Ally just stood by the threshold of his door, waiting for him.

"Well?" she said, looking at him as he wandered around his room collecting his clothes.

"Well, what?" he stared at her as he picked up his towel and took off his shirt. He saw her cheeks turn bright Red when he pulled off his shirt. Ally turned around from him.

Austin smirked at her "I'll just change my clothes and just show you where your room is." he said as he pushed her out of his room and slam the door shut.

When Ally felt his hand come in contact with her lower back and shoulder, her body tensed. '_What in the world is he doing?_' she thought, a little panicky inside.

But then she felt herself get pushed and she heard his door shut close.

"Rude and tactless." she murmured as she looked around the hallway. It was a long hallway with doors popping left and right. The walls were bare except for a few family portraits of the Moons and at the end of the hallway, just at the center so you could see it the moment you took a step in the floor even if you were from afar, was a record plaque that certified Austin's debut album Platinum in America and Europe.

'_I wonder if I'll ever get one of these..._' she sourly thought to herself. Yes, she's a musician as well, only she got a really terrible stage fright when she was young which hindered her from ever performing in front of anyone except her parents and her best friend, Trish(sometimes Dez too).

She walked closer to the plaque and brushed her fingers on the frame.

Austin finished changing his clothes and head out of his room, expecting to see a still blushing Ally but she wasn't there. He looked down the hallway and saw her standing by his record plaque.

"Hey, short stuff," he called to her, smirking.

"What?" Ally snapped out of her thoughts and looked at him.

"Stop staring at my record plaque," he motioned for her to walk to him "It's mine."

"I wasn't staring, I was just-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's just get this over with." he cut her off and pointed at the room to her right, it had a big wooden door. "That's my parents' room, don't ever go there." he told her "These two rooms," he pointed at the room next to his and the one across "are spare rooms, although I sometimes sleep in the one next to mine." he then walked to the door next to the spare room on the left. "This is the bathroom and down there," he walked farther from the bathroom and turned left. Ally followed "is your room." he finished, pointing downstairs.

The stairs led down to the open garden, although there was a hallway to the right.

"My room?" Ally frowned at him.

"Yeah, down there." he nodded "There's a hallway on the right and a room there and a bathroom as well. The room's actually quite big..." he added matter of factly.

"Okay, whatever. But why would I need my own room?"

"I don't know, mom just told that you have one and that's where your room is."

Ally's face scrunched up(which he thought was really cute). Why would she need a room? She's just "babysitting" him by daytime, right? She didn't sign up for a stay-in job. She definitely had to ask her parents about that.

"You coming, shortie?" Austin broke her train of thought again as the Blonde head to the stairs, his hands casually stuffed in his pockets.

"Don't call me 'shortie'." Ally rolled her eyes but nevertheless, followed him.

"Whatever."

They stopped by the stairs and Austin jerked his head towards the stairs that led to the third floor.

"Up there is the terrace and attic- well, it's really more of my practice room and game room." he stated "And that's it!" his tone was full of sarcasm "That's you whole tour. You're welcome, shortie."

Then he went down the stairs to head back to the dining room. Ally just sighed and shook her head, following him back down to the dining room. Where their parents were still chatting with each other. Unlike the two teens, the four adults seemed to get along fairly well.

"Oh, hello there." Mrs. Moon greeted the two as they entered the dining room "I trust that Austin gave you a good tour of the house, Ally?"

"He did good enough, Mrs. Moon." Ally faked a smile before rolling her eyes at Austin.

Austin huffed "Whatever." he muttered low enough so that only Ally could hear it.

"Then we better get going," Ally's dad stood up.

"Oh, you're going already?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, we still have some packing to do." Penny answered.

"Well, in that case we'll just see you on Monday." Austin's mom said as they all head out of the Moons' mansion.

Mike and Austin led Ally's parents out but before Ally could follow them, Austin's mom stopped her.

She placed a hand on her shoulder "Can I talk to you for a minute?" she said.

Ally shrugged "Yeah, I guess so..."

Then Mimi led her inside the kitchen. "Thank you again, Ally, for agreeing to accompany Austin." she gave the Brunette a warm smile.

She returned her smile "It's nothing, Mrs. Moon."

"Please, call me Mimi and uh, if it's not too much for you can you not tell anyone else that you're 'babysitting' Austin?"

"I won't." she chuckled.

"Thank you, Ally." Mimi gave her a quick hug "I think Austin would really appreciate that."

"I'm sure he would..."

Then the two headed out to the front porch where Lester, Penny, Mike and Austin were waiting for them

Her dad put an arm around her shoulder. "Let's go?" he asked her.

She just nodded and the Dawsons bid their goodbyes to the Moons; Penny and Mimi hugged each other, Mike and Lester shook hands, while Austin and Ally just stood awkwardly beside each other, then the Dawsons left. The Moons waved at them as they pulled out of the driveway.

Ally waved at them and she saw Austin send her a quick wink, a smug grin plastered across his face. Ally giggled and shook her head, she tried to ignore her burning cheeks.

As they drove away from the Moons' mansion, Penny turned to Ally. "So, what do you think?"

"They're nice." she replied "I think I've actually met Mr. and Mrs. Moon before..."

"Really?"

"Yeah, last night just before I closed up the shop. They were asking about that new Red guitar..."

Her dad looked at her through the rear view mirror "We know, princess..."

Ally frowned at him "You do? How?"

"They told us, dear..."

"Oh..."

* * *

After the Dawsons left, the Moons went inside their house and Austin quickly headed to his room- not wanting to hear any of his parents remarks. But it was too late. Mimi had pulled him before he reached the stairs and led him to the living room.

"So, how are the Dawsons? Did you like them?" his mom asked.

"They're great, mom." he carelessly replied, rolling his eyes.

"And Ally? What about her?"

"What about Ally?"

"Did you like her?" Mimi grinned at him.

He could feel his cheeks burn at the gaze of his mother. "She's okay..." he shrugged "Can I go now, mom?"

His mom nodded and Austin headed up to his room.

He was going to call Dez and tell him about everything- yes, Dez knows that he's having a 'babysitter'. He got his phone and called Dez. After a few rings, someone answered the call.

"'Sup, buddy?" Dez greeted him when he answered the phone.

"'Sup, Dez. What'cha doin'?" he asked.

"Nothing much, just making me some gingerbread family. But enough about me, what about you? How's the whole babysitting thing? Who's the girl?"

"She's okay. Kinda looks short to be seventeen..."

"Really? What's her name?"

"Ally..." he shrugged, even though he knew that Dez couldn't see him.

There was a brief silence between them "Dez, you still there?" he said.

Dez cleared his throat "Uh, yeah but, um... just out of curiosity," he started "This Ally you're talking about, she doesn't happen to be short that has long Chestnut Brown hair with Caramel tips and big round Chocolate Brown eyes, does she?"

Austin gasped "Y-yeah, she actually does!" he let out an air of breath "How- how'd you know?"

He heard Dez chuckled at the other end of the phone "That's because I know that Ally!" he exclaimed "Ally Dawson."

"Yes, that's her! Why do you know her?" Austin could hear his own jealousy as he spoke. Although, he didn't know where that came from. Why would he be jealous that Dez knew his babysitter?

"Well, uh, I go to the same school with her and she's actually one of my only friends. She's nice... and smart too..."

"Oh, okay... but did you say that she was one of your only friends? Why? Don't you have many friends in school?"

"I actually don't..." Dez said matter of factly, which Austin thought was kinda sad. Dez was probably the best best friend he could ever have- he was supportive, funny and random though most of the time he doesn't really make any sense and was always clueless about stuff, Austin didn't mind those, he actually liked that side of Dez. Dez was like the brother he never had.

He didn't know what to respond to Dez's proclamation so he kept quiet.

Another moment of silence passed and Dez broke it. "So, what is she like?"

Austin frowned "What do you mean? I thought you know her? You just told me that you're friends with Ally."

"Well, yeah, but how can I be sure that she's the real Ally Dawson that I know..." Dez said as if it was the most obvious thing in world.

"What? Dez that doesn't even make any sense!"

"Does it have to, buddy?" he chuckled "Just tell me. I want to know how she reacted upon seeing you."

"Why would that even matter?"

"Uh, duh, because you're Austin Moon. In case you forgot, you're a teen pop sensation!" he reasoned. Little did Austin know that Dez actually had another reason for asking the question.

"Oh, yeah that... You know, surprisingly enough, she didn't freak out like I thought she would. You know, I thought that she'd be all jittery and excited because... well, because I'm Austin Moon" His Ego was speaking again. But what he said was all true, he really did expect her to be all over him(not in that kind of way) because of who he is, but apparently she doesn't care about that- it's like she doesn't even know who he is(and that kinda hurt his Ego).

"It's like she doesn't even know who I am!" he added with a huff.

"That's not entirely true," his best friend chuckled again "I'm pretty sure she knows who you are..." he said in a teasing tone.

"Really? How can you be sure?"

Dez chuckled once more(which slightly annoyed Austin). "That's because she doesn't like you." the Redhead finally said.

The words his best friend said didn't quite register to his mind. Ally doesn't like him? It didn't really made sense to him- everybody likes Austin Moon. He's Austin Moon, what reason is there for her to not like him?

"What do you mean 'she doesn't like me'? That's not possible."

"I don't mean that she doesn't like you, like you. Although, I highly doubt that since she doesn't even like your songs because she's not a fan of yours." Dez added as an after thought.

"She-she's not a fan of m-mine?" he struggled to put together the sentence- he couldn't believe what his best friend had told him. Someone doesn't like him, well, they weren't a fan of him but that's all the same to him. He never thought that any girl didn't like him- every girl he'd met was head over heels for him(again his Ego speaking).

"Well, yeah..." his best friend answered, breaking his train of thought. "I mean she's listened to a song or two of yours and I wouldn't exactly say that she's a fan it."

"And she told you that? She- she told you she's not a fan of mine? That she didn't like my songs?"

"Not exactly. She told her best friend about it because Trish made her listen to your whole album and yeah, she told her best friend that she didn't like it."

"I- I can't believe this!" Austin stammered "Ally doesn't like me..."

It wasn't really just Ally not liking him that shocked him- it was the thought of someone not liking him or his songs, it just kinda doubled the shock that someone he knew- his "babysitter" to be exact- didn't like him.

"So, what are you gonna do about it?" Dez asked.

"I don't know. I mean, if we're gonna spend time together shouldn't we get along and stuff like that? And by the looks of it, she won't make this easy- for the two of us..."

"You're already planning something, aren't you?" Austin could just imagine his best friend giving him a look as the Redhead sighed through the phone.

Austin grinned "Yup. I'm going to make her like me."

"And if that doesn't work?"

"Them I'm going to make her regret she even took this babysitting job."

Yes, that was his plan. He was going to impress her the moment she entered his house again, he was going to show her how likable Austin Moon is. But if all else fails(which he really wished won't happen), he was going to make her life as his babysitter like living hell; so bad that she'll probably even quit the job.

"I don't know, Austin," Dez told him "This is kind of a bad idea. What if something goes wrong?"

"Relax, Dez. Nothing will go wrong. he reassured him, it was quite uncommon that Dez was having doubts in him. "I'm Austin Moon. I could get anything that I want- everything always goes my way."

As pretentious as that sounded, it was sorta true. Ever since his career shot up, nothing ever goes wrong. Everything always goes the way he wanted it. Well, at least that was before he found out that they'll be moving back to Miami but that was just a minor thing, it was nothing he should be worried about. Again, his Ego was talking.

He heard Dez sigh "Just be careful, yeah?" the Redhead asked him.

Austin nodded "Yeah, yeah. I got to go. I have some planning to do." he smirked as he hung up on Dez. He didn't really see why Dez was all worried about everything; nothing's going to go wrong, for one thing he's Austin Moon and he always gets what he want and for another, how bad can Ally be, right? He was sure that after a few jam sessions would quickly change her mind about him. And his songs.

Besides, he was only doing both of them a favor.

And with that, Austin began planning his extravaganza for Ally.

* * *

The rest of the day went by quickly for Ally. After they returned home from the Moons, she helped her mom pack her stuff for Africa since she wasn't on duty at Sonic Boom- it was a Saturday, he day off from work.

"Hey, um... mom?" she asked as they put away yet another box that they just finished wrapping up.

"Yes, dear?" Penny replied.

"Well, uh... can I ask you something?"

"You just did." her mom joked, smiling at her daughter as they took a seat on their couch. "But okay, what is it?"

Ally chuckled at her mom's joke "I did, didn't I?" she nodded but then her smile faltered as she bit her lip. She'd been itching to ask her parents some questions since they got back from the Moons but she never got the opportunity until now.

Her mother looked at her with concern, obviously noticing Ally's uneasiness. "Honey, is something wrong? What happened?"

She shook her head "N-nothing, mom. It's just that when we were at the Moons' house," she started, finally plucking up the courage to ask her mom "When, uh, Austin showed me around the house..." Ally noticed her mom perk up as she mentioned Austin and she felt her cheeks heat up. '_Stop it, Ally!_' she scolded her brain, shaking her head.

Then she continued on "Well, when Austin showed me around he told me that I have my own room. He showed me- well he didn't exact show me, he just pointed at where it was- but he told me that I have a room in their house. I asked him why but he told me that his mom just told him that I have one... So, I just wanted to ask if you know why I have my own room at their house..." she finished.

Penny opened her mouth but then she paused, seemingly caught off guard by her daughter's inquiry. Then she sighed "Ally, you don't need to worry about having your own room at the Moons'. It was just that when your father and I talked to Mike and Mimi about this whole thing, the four of us thought that it'd be more convenient for you to have your own room since you're going to spend more time there." she explained "You will only use that room in the afternoon when you arrive at their house to "accompany" Austin. So, no, we are not kicking you out of the house." Penny smiled at Ally.

She already knew by the nervousness of her tone that Ally thought that her "babysitting" job with Austin was a stay in one and that it meant they were kicking her out of the house. But that was not entirely true at all. Although, Penny was hoping that Ally would want to stay at the Moons' often- she thinks that Austin and Ally looked cute together. See, their names even has a ring to it. Austin and Ally; it was cute and just sounded so right.

"Oh..."

"But if you would like, you could stay at Austin's as long as you want. If you want to sleep there it's okay too." her mom cheekily added and Ally felt her cheeks burn up.

"Mom!" she cried, ducking her head so that her hair was covering her blushing cheeks.

"I'm just kidding, honey." Penny laughed "Well, half-kidding."

When Ally didn't reply, her mom stood up from her chair and walked up to her daughter, kissing the top of her head. "Thank you again, princess."

Ally looked up at her mom and smiled. Then her mom left the living, heading to the kitchen to make lunch for them.

She was left sitting in the living room, recalling what had happened in the past hour or so. She didn't think that much of her encounter with Austin earlier today. Honestly, she didn't think their encounter was that bad(if you ignore the fact that they met each other because she was going to "babysit" him- 'cause that totally blows everything up to the roof). Although, he was a bit cocky, she had expected that the moment she realized who he was.

That gave her the idea of "babysitting" him will only either be really easy and great or just absolutely horrible and hard(she was silently praying that it wouldn't the latter one). She tried to be optimistic about it- even she wasn't exactly fond of him- for the sake of her parents.

"So, what do you wanna do today?" Trish snapped her out of her thoughts. She didn't even notice that her best friend had already entered her house.

"Oh, uh... sorry, I uh... I wasn't paying attention." she gave the Latina a sheepish look, who in turn gave her a questioning look.

"What's up with you? You seem to be floating up in the clouds today."

"I, uh..." Ally thought for a moment- she couldn't tell Trish that she got a job on babysitting Austin Moon, she promised Mimi that she wouldn't tell anybody else about it. Plus she knows her best friend would freak out about it, she was a big fan of Austin- she even has this crazy dream to become Austin's manager.

"It's nothing..." she finally said.

"Are you sure? You seem kinda off today."

"Yeah," she nodded "Just a little worn off, I guess"

"It's really been hard for you, hasn't it?" Trish gave her a sympathetic look "It's been one hell of a month for you."

"You could say that again. I don't even know what I'll do when mom finally moves to Africa."

"I wish I could say that I feel what you're feeling but I don't... so, you know..."

Ally giggled at her. Trish really knew how to cheer her up.

The Latina laughed as well "Why don't we take your mind off of that..." she said.

She nodded "Okay, how?"

Trish shrugged "I don't know... maybe you could play a song or something."

Ally smiled and then headed for the baby grand on the corner of their living room, Trish following her.

She started to play random chords, trying to come up with some lyrics. Maybe she could write a song for her mom, so she could get out some of her frustrations but obviously no ideas came to her because of a certain Blonde that was clouding her mind.

Although, she didn't know why. Certainly, she wasn't feeling anything towards Austin, right? Like come on, she didn't even like his songs, so surely she doesn't feel anything for him. But then, why was she thinking of him? His puppy dog Hazel Brown eyes, Blonde hair that flops just the right way and his very much built up body.

'_God, what is wrong with you, Ally?_'

"I can't think of anything!" She finally gave up, huffing and resting her elbows on the piano keys.

"Why don't you just play a song that you already know." Trish suggested. She was beginning to worry for her best friend- the Brunette just seemed to be so off. "You know, just to get some frustrations out."

"Yeah, okay." then she started playing the chords for Coldplay's "The Scientist".

Ally had no idea why it was the song she played but something inside her just told her it was a fitting song for her situation. She closed her eyes as she started singing- even around Trish she still got a little shy, even though she had told Ally many times that her voice was amazing.

"_**Nobody said it was easy**_

_**It's such a shame for us to part**_

_**Nobody said it was easy**_

_**No one ever said it would be this hard**_

_**Oh, take me back to the start**_-" **[1]**

'_If only I had Austin's confidence._' she thought to herself '_Wait, what?!_'

That thought threw her off of her concentration and she played the wrong chord. She stopped, staring blankly at the piano. Why would she even think of that?

"What's wrong, Ally? You were doing really great." Trish said looking at her full of her concern.

She shook her head. "Nothing. I guess it's just too much for me." she stated, dismissing any other discussions about it.

Trish gave her another look, as if debating if she should push on with the subject but then she nodded "Okay," the Latina patter her shoulder "I'll just leave you in peace then. Besides I have a new job to get fired from."

Ally chuckled "Thanks, Trish." she said as her best friend left her house.

Just like that, Ally's day passed by with her laying down in her bed all day, thinking of the recent events that just happened to her. Only then, did it sink in her that by Monday afternoon she was going to "babysit" Austin Moon. She knew it wasn't going to be easy- for both of them- especially because she's not exactly a big fan of his.

Ideas started popping in her mind- she should at least get to know him, right? And she had to prepare for that. She had to prepare for him.

* * *

**A/N: ****Hey, look at that another chapter done! I hope you liked this one just as much as you liked the first one! Tell me what you think about it in the reviews. So, what do you guys think about Austin's and Ally's first encounter? Was it too much? Or do think I should've added more? Either way, you'll still see a lot of Auslly moments since, you know, this _is _an Auslly fic. So, yay for more Auslly! =D**

**[1]: The Scientist by Coldplay. One of my favorite songs of Coldplay and one of the first songs I learned to play on the piano(yeah, that right, I play the piano)**

**Anyway, I've already got the third chapter lined up and it would be uploaded in a week or so since I'm still polishing it. I've got more chapters coming, right now, I'm already halfway through finishing the fifth one(I'm already done with the fourth, just polishing it up) and I'm already starting with the sixth so, you guys shouldn't worry about waiting too long for my next update of the story!**

**So, uh, I hope you guys liked this one! More to come! Check out my other fics too, I have other A&amp;A stories(which are mostly Auslly one shots) and I have from other fandoms too. As always, thanks so much for the support! It really means a lot to me.**

**That's it for now, guys! I really hope you enjoyed this! You can always ask me anything if there are some details that you don't get, I'll answer them as clearly as I possibly can(I swear I don't bite, you can tell me anything).**

**Up Next: Ally finally starts her "babysitting" job. =D**

**~Lou**


	3. Trial and Error

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin&amp;Ally, all rights go to the Creators.**

**Enjoy!**

**Ally finally starts her "babysitting" job with Austin. Hmmm, I wonder how will it go?**

* * *

_~ I'm not one of those crazy girls ~_

_/ Paramore '[One Of Those] Crazy Girls' /_

* * *

Chapter 3: Trial and Error.

The weekend passed by real quick for both Austin and Ally, as both got caught up in their business of making a good impression with one another. And the next thing they know, it was Monday again- the day when Ally officially starts "Babysitting" Austin.

Both weren't exactly looking forward to it.

"So, what's up with you today?" Trish asked Ally as the final bell rang, signaling the end of today's classes.

"What do you mean? Nothing's up with me..." Ally shrugged nonchalantly.

"Really?" the Latina raised an eyebrow at her "So, it's nothing that you've been awfully quiet all day on the first day of school? I know you, Ally, you wouldn't pass anything up on the first day of our Senior year, you've been talking about it the whole year last year. Plus it's a Monday and you're like the opposite of Garfield on Mondays."

"I'm okay, Trish, really. Nothing is going on..." she dismissed as they arrived by their lockers which of course, are next to each other.

Ally thought that their conversation ended there, not for Trish though. She knew her best friend was hiding something, she'd been acting weird since Saturday afternoon. Something must have happened earlier that day or the previous night and she was going to find out about it- one way or another.

Trish started to open her mouth but before she could utter a word, someone interrupted her.

"Hey, guys!" the Redhead came out of nowhere, startling both the Brunette and the Latina.

"Dez!" Ally squealed, dropping her books to the floor.

"What was that all about, you doof?" Trish glared at him as they help Ally pick up her books.

"What do you mean?" he gave Ally the last remaining book "Here you go, Ally. And uh, sorry too... I guess..." he said.

All shook her head "It's okay, Dez. I'm sure you didn't mean any harm." then she put a hand on Trish's shoulder "Leave it, Trish."

Trish rolled her eyes "Whatever you say..." she said, scowling at Dez.

The Redhead backed away a little bit from her, afraid that she'll do something horrible to him. But when Trish didn't advance on him, he decided to join them again as the two girls walk out of the school.

There was a moment of silence between the three friends before Dez broke it again.

"So, Ally what's up with you today?" he asked, wriggling his eyebrows at her.

"Why does everybody thin that there's something going on with me?!" she groaned in exasperation "You're like the seventh person to ask!"

In all honesty, she was getting really ticked off. Sure, she was getting a new job as Austin Moon's new 'babysitter' but that was none of their business(because they didn't know that).

Her two friends backed away from her, their hands up in surrender.

"Okay, sorry for asking." Trish said "You don't need to lash out on us about it. No need to get all defensive."

"Yeah, Ally, we're just asking if there's something... new with you" Dez added cheekily "Like a new job or a new hobby..."

"New- what?" Ally abruptly stopped. She narrowed her eyes at the Redhead, who had a cunning smile plastered upon his face.

'_He knows something._' she thought. '_But what?_'

"Dez, what are you talking about?" Trish frowned at the two. Obviously, there was something going on that she didn't knew about.

"Oh, nothing. I just thought Ally might want to share something with us." he chuckled "Since she's been acting weird all day."

'_Okay, he definitely knows about it._'

An eerie silence fell upon them as Ally and Dez stared at each other with Trish looking to and fro between her friends- she has this gut feeling that they were hiding something from her.

"Okay, wait, wait hold up," Trish interrupted their staring contest "First of all, what is going on? Secondly, as much as I hate to agree with Freckles here, he's right. You've been actin weird all day. Care to explain?"   


Ally's body tensed- she can't tell them about her new job, not yet at least. She promised Austin's mom and she can't fail her- she hasn't even started on the new job!

She knew she had to make up an excuse immediately because her best friend was already tapping her foot, showing her impatience. While Dez just stood there, a goofy smirk still plastered across his face.

A theatrical sigh escaped her "Nothing is going on." she started "I'm not getting a new job or new hobby or whatever, okay? I'm just really worn off- I think you would be too if you're in my shoes. I mean, for crying out loud, my parents are getting divorced and one of them is moving to Africa in two weeks!" she finally finished with another great sigh.

What she said wasn't exactly a lie, although it's not at all true as well- maybe it was a half-half: the first one was a lie while the second was true.

The other two fell silent after her little outburst. Thank god, they did; they must've felt guilty about pestering her about it.

"Sorry..." they both murmured.

Ally shook her head "Let's just forget about it..." then they continued on walking the streets, silently this time.

Although, there were still a few things bothering Ally(as was her two friends).

First, Dez's peculiar attitude, she was sure he knows something about her new job- why else would he bring up such a subject? He never took interest in Ally's work, in fact he only hangs around Sonic Boom because he literally has nothing to do. Second, and this one is slightly disturbing her, the half lie- half true statement that she made. It disturbed her that the "true" statement about her getting upset because her parents is getting divorced and her mom is moving to Africa was slightly a lie as well- don't get it all wrong, she was still bummed about all those but it's been weeks, almost a month, since the news was brought upon her and she's beginning to- reluctantly- cope up with it. And third, it seemed to her, she was more anxious in meeting Austin again. Why, though? It's not like he's going to have a great effect in her life, right?

Ally kept thinking to herself so hard that it almost drove her insane but she was spared from that when Dez spoke up.

"Well, I got to go someplace." he said "See you two, whenever."

And with that the Redhead left them. Ally noted where he was heading was the route to Austin's house. Though, she shrugged it off as a coincidence.

"So, where are you off to now?" Trish asked as they make their way to Mall of Miami.

"Sonic Boom," Ally replied "what about you?"

The Latina sighed "Unfortunately, I have work today. Shredder's is getting really popular and Hazel wants me to work for a few extra hours." she glumly said.

Ally chuckled at her best friend "Wow, I honestly didn't think you'd still be working at Shredders 'til now." she said matter of factly "Who'd have thought you'd actually last there!" she joked.

"Haha, very funny, Ally."

"I should be going too, I have to switch shifts with dad today."

"Wait, you're not closing the store today? But it's Monday, you always close the store on Mondays."

Ally tensed again. She wasn't closing today- or any other weekday, at that matter- because she had a new babysitting job today but she can't tell Trish that.

"Oh, well, uh..." her voice started to squeak "I, uh, I- I closed the store last Friday because dad had to do something, so were' switching shifts today..." she lied.

"Oh... so we can hang out later tonight?"

"I- I don't know... I still might be busy helping out mom..."

Trish nodded, she understood what Ally meant(or at least she thinks she does) and because she was also still a little guilty for pestering her earlier. That was why she didn't notice that her best friend was lying- lately, Ally has been getting good at being bad.

Then the two best friends separated ways. Ally headed to Sonic Boom and Trish to Shredder's Beach club. It was a good thing(for Ally) that Shredder's was at the other end of the Mall, that way she won't have trouble leaving Sonic Boom and worry about getting caught going to her new job.

She really hated lying, especially to her best friend but it was the best she could do- she promised Mimi she would keep "babysitting" Austin a secret(that was like the tenth time she reminded herself about it).

Ally entered Sonic Boom and she was immediately greeted by her dad.

"Hello, Ally!" her dad said "Ready for your new job?"

"Hi, dad." she gave him a hug. She curtly nodded at her father's question, trying hard not to look so bummed. "Not quite..." she muttered low.

Her dad didn't hear it because he had already released her from the hug they shared. "Why don't you go to the practice room and prepare yourself, alright?" he told her "Then later on, your mom and I will drop you off at the Moons."

Ally nodded "Okay..." then she headed upstairs to the practice room.

She entered the room and quickly headed to the piano. She played random chords on it and basically just pressed every single key on it.

Honestly, she doesn't know what she was feeling about the whole 'babysitting' situation with Austin- one minute she was anxious and dreading it but then the next she's actually quite excited and optimistic about it. That drover her insane- she didn't know what was going on with her.

All she knows was that when this 'babysitting' stuff with Austin starts, everything will change; for the better or worse, she's not sure.

A few minutes later, her mom came in the practice room. "You ready?" she asked as Ally stopped playing the piano.

"Probably..." she replied, standing up from the piano bench. The mother and daughter then walked downstairs to see Lester Dawson already closing up the shop.

After that, the Dawsons headed to the Moons' mansion once again.

Ally was silent the whole ride to the Moons. She was thinking and analyzing every single thing that she'd prepared for him when they finally meet again.

* * *

Austin woke up from his deep slumber Monday afternoon when Dez shook him awake.

"Austin, dude, get up!" Dez told him "It's already 3:35 in the afternoon. Ally will be here any minute now."

"What?!" he shot up from his bed the moment he heard Ally's name, wide eyed and very much awake. He looked at his digital clock on his bedside table. '_3:36 p.m._' it showed. His best friend was right. Ally would arrive at his house in a matter of minutes and he hasn't even showered yet!

He must've overslept because he pulled two straight all-nighters just to plan and prepare everything for Ally, but now it was all ruined because he didn't wake up to his alarm. He was sure he set it last night to alarm at around nine o'clock but he apparently he had slept through it- or his mom had turned off the alarm before she and his dad went to work.

It was most likely to be the latter one.

"Wait, how'd you get here, Dez?" he frowned at the Redhead.

"Oh, your mom gave me a spare key the other day." he nonchalantly shrugged.

"Oh..."

Then he shook his head, that was least of his problems. Austin had to get ready- and fast.

His mind raced. What else was there left to do? Maybe Dez could help him with some stuff.

"Listen, Dez, you're not doing anything now right? Cause I need you to help me with something." he looked hopefully at his best friend, who in turn just nodded in reply.

"Okay, great! Thanks!" he stood up from his bed, looking around his room. His eyes landed on the rustled paper next to his digital clock which now showed '_3:40 p.m._'.

"I'll just take a quick shower," he grabbed the paper and handed it to Dez "I need you to do all the stuff in there, all those that doesn't have check marks on it."

"Okay..." Dez examined the piece of paper.

Then Austin grabbed his towel and darted out to the bathroom.

"Wait, what if Ally shows up already?"Dez called to him.

"Stall her. Just tell her I'm on my way down."

Dez nodded while Austin locked himself up in the bathroom, quickly stripping off of his clothes and positioned himself underneath the shower.

The water was cold but he didn't care because not a second after the water travels down from his head to his toes, the door bell rang. That can only mean one thing: Ally has arrived at his house.

"She's here!" he heard Dez chuckle.

"Dez!" he yelled.

"I know, I'll get it."

Austin quickly rinsed himself, washing himself as quickly as possible.

Downstairs, Dez was smiling to himself as he reached the front doors. He could just make out Ally's silhouette on the other side of the doors.

He knew the moment Austin told him that Ally was his "Babysitter", that things are going to be interesting. People might think that he's an idiot and he might not have a girlfriend himself but he knows a match made in heaven when he sees one- he is, after all, the 'Love Whisperer'(nobody calls him that).

"Hi, Ally!" he grinned at the Brunette once he opened that door. And for a few seconds, she just stood there, staring at him, mouth slightly open- it's as if she saw him naked.

"D-Dez?" she exclaimed "W-what are you doing here? I, I thought you had to- to go some place else?" she stammered.

"This is '_some place_', silly." he chuckled at her.

"B-but why here?"

"Uh, duh, because Austin's my best friend and we always hang out after school..."

"What? Austin's your best friend? How come you've never mentioned that to us?"

"Yeah, but I didn't want to flaunt it to you guys that my best friend is a teen pop sensation. And did you really think that you and Trish are my only friends?" he smirked.

"That's because we really are your only friends!"

"Yeah, you two and Austin..."

Then he let her inside the Moons' house. They entered that living room and then it dawned on Ally- Dez already knew that Ally was going to 'babysit' Austin, that was why he was suddenly so interested in her job earlier that day.

Ally stopped and looked at the Redhead "So, how long have you known?" she asked.

Dez shrugged "Just this Saturday. He called me after you two met that day and he told me that you were... well, "Babysitting" him..." he made air quotes as he emphasize on the word.

Ally sighed and plopped down to the sofa, grimacing at Dez "Did he say anything else?" she let slip the eagerness in her voice. She didn't know why she was so anxious in knowing but she just was. She just wanted to know if there was something else he had said about her.

"No. Not much really. I mean, you could tell that he's certainly not enjoying it..." he replied.

"Is it really that bad?"

"Bad? What do you mean?" he frowned at her.

"I mean this whole thing- the whole 'babysitting' stuff..." she trailed off. She didn't really know where she was heading to with the conversation, but seeing that she was talking to Dez, it probably didn't have a destination in the first place at all.

"I guess it's kinda weird and awkward but I wouldn't say it's bad..."

A moment of silence passed them. Ally stared off into the distance, thinking about everything that might happened today. Her thought bubble popped when Dez started un-crumpling a torn piece of paper.

"What's that?" she asked, curiosity seeping through her words.

"This? Oh, this is nothing. Just some things Austin wanted me to do." he bluntly said. Since he really had no idea that the paper was all about Ally.

"Oh... but, um... where is Austin?"

"He's upstairs just finishing up..."

Then he started reading the paper. A frown formed on his face as he read Austin To-do list:

**1\. Find best qualities that is likable about me- check(everything is likable about me).**

**2\. Find best qualities that is likable about Ally- no check(although, she is kinda cute). **

**3\. Find common things that me and Ally have- check(we both don't like this babysitting thing).**

**4\. Impress Ally- no check.**

**5\. Show Ally my singing skill, so she would know how awesome I am- no check.**

Dez just shook his head as he read all of Austin's To-Do list. It seemed to him that his best friend was trying too hard to impress to Ally- he wasn't just planning to impress her, he was planning to show off to her. And by the looks of his To-Do list, he wasn't really doing that well.

He chuckled at the list. He knew exactly why Austin was trying so hard to impress Ally. "Hey, Austin, I can't do any of these stuff," he hollered "I'm not you. Plus number four and five are practically the same."

Austin got downstairs as soon as he can when Dez shouted to him.

"What are you talking about, Dez?" he asked as he pull down his shirt from his head. His hair was still wet, so half of it stuck out in many places while the other half stuck down to his forehead.

"Here, man," Dez gave him the piece of paper. "I'm not you, so I can't do any of these. Unless you want me to sing in front of Ally."

"What do you mean?" he said as he scanned the To-Do list. "Uh, really? This is all I could come up with in two days?!"

As the two boys talk with each other, Ally did her best to resist the urge to ask about what they were talking about, but alas, her curiosity got the best of her. She stood up from the sofa to face the two boys.

"Sorry for interrupting," she started "but, um... what's in the paper?" she pointed at the paper on Austin's hand.

"W-what paper?" he hid the paper behind him, only now did he notice that Ally was actually in the living room with him and Dez. "This, uh... this is n-nothing..."

"Really?" she arched an eyebrow at him.

"Yep." he nodded, looking at her with his puppy dog eyes and rocking on his feet back and forth.

In an instant, both of them were lost in each other's eyes. They just stared at each other- Hazel Brown against Chocolate Brown. More seconds passed and the tension was beginning to be unbearable, so Dez cleared his throat, breaking the two's intense staring(more like ogling) contest. They quickly broke their gaze, looking at anything but one another.

Dez giggled at them "Oh, look at the time, it's almost 4 o'clock," he announced, looking at the non-existent watch on his wrist "I better get going. My mom's probably looking for me. Bye, guys! Oh, and Austin, buddy," he put a hand on the Blonde's shoulder "Your fly is open." he whispered just loud enough for Ally to hear it, too. Then he left.

Ally suppressed the urge to laugh loudly while Austin flushed beet red, turning away from her so that he could zip up his zipper. When he turned around, she let out a shaky air of breath, grinning at the back of his head.

He turned back around again(after securely zipping up his fly) and glared at her, though she wasn't fazed- she just stared back at him as well.

They would've stared at each other even longer if Austin's stomach didn't grumble loudly. He still hasn't eaten breakfast nor his lunch since he overslept. Ally smirked at him before walking past him and entering the kitchen.

Austin pouted "What?" he said, confusion evident in his tone. He turned and followed her to the kitchen. There he found Ally bent over the refrigerator. He tried his best not to ogle at her as she rummage on the contents of the fridge.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

"You're hungry, aren't you?" she stood up straight and looked at him with innocent doe eyes- he couldn't help but think that he had seen those big, round Chocolate Brown eyes before. It was there, he knew it, somewhere hidden in his memory- deep within his brain- a pair of Chocolate Brown eyes, so wide and so innocent. But he couldn't figure out where, so he shrugged it off.

He could feel his cheeks burn as she stared at him "Oh..."

Then she continued searching the ref "Surely, your mom left something for you to eat." she said more to herself than to him.

Austin's stomach grumbled again- she was taking too long to find his food and her was growing impatient. He always was when he's hungry. So, he had to take matter on his own.

He shook his head and then went to the cupboard above the stove, bringing out a bag of pancake mix.

"What are you doing?" this time it was Ally who asked.

"I'm hungry. So, I'm making something that I can eat." he said.

"Yeah, but pancakes? Really?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. Except for the fact that it's almost dinner."

"Hey, I didn't question you the other day when you ate those pickles after eating those delicious pancakes."

She didn't retort back to what he said. Instead, she just shook her head and helped him make the pancakes.

They were silent for a few minutes until an idea popped to Austin. This was the perfect time to show Ally how good of a singer he is. So, he started humming one of his songs. He hummed the tune of '_Billion Hits_'; sneaking a glance at her to see her reaction but it looked like she didn't even notice he was humming.

He tried a different approach- he casually started singing '_Billion Hits_', getting louder and louder as he can but she still didn't react.

'_Why'd he suddenly started singing?_' Ally thought as his singing got louder. She figured he was singing one of his songs but she doesn't know it(again, she wasn't a fan of his).

"_**Whoa-oh-oh-oh, that's what I'm gonna get**_"

He sang as they cooked the first batch of pancakes.

"_**Whoa-oh-oh-oh, that's what I'm gonna get.**_

_**Yeah, 'cause I know that I'll make it**_

_**Overload the internet **_

_**A billion hits is what I'll get.**_"

He continued singing the song until he finished it, but still she didn't react to him.

'_Finally!_' Ally inwardly sighed when Austin finished singing '_I get it, you're Austin Moon, whatever._'

They finished flipping over the pancakes and put it all in one plate.

'_I don't get it,_' Austin thought to himself as he absent-mindedly looked at Ally, who was cleaning the mess they(more like he) made during the creation of the pancakes. '_Does she really not know who I am?_'

In all honesty, his ego wasn't the only one that hurt him when she didn't react to his singing. He tried his best not to blurt out these frustrations as he started eating the pancakes.

"Aren't you gonna eat?" he asked her when she finished cleaning and putting all the cooking materials they used in the dishwasher.

What?" her eyebrows furrowed at him.

"Well, you did help me make the pancakes," he said, shrugging "So you deserve to eat these as well..."

She chuckled "No, thanks. Besides, I think those won't be enough for you." she joked.

Austin shook his head, ignoring her cheeky comment, and grabbed a plate "Just eat." he insisted as he put three pancakes on the plate then set it in front of her.

A sigh escaped her lips but she obliged to his request nevertheless; sitting down on a chair and eating the pancakes that he put on the plate.

There was silence between them as Ally ate the pancakes and Austin stared at her. He kept thinking of ways to impress her but none of them were good enough.

"Why are you staring at me?" she broke his trance. She had stopped eating and was now looking at him.

"Oh, uh..." he struggled to find an excuse. He just can't say that he's staring at her because he was observing her so that he will know what to do to impress her- that'd be way too creepy and she might get the wrong idea about it.

"You know what, nevermind. Just-"

"I just don't get it." he finally blurted out, cutting her off "I mean, I don't want to sound like a self-centered douche, but how can you _not_ know me?"

"What? Who ever said that I didn't?"

"I-" he broke off, blinking at her. He thought about what Dez told him the other day. And she was right, no one told him that Ally didn't know him- Dez just told him that she wasn't a fan of his or his songs.

"Well, you sure don't act like you know me..." he finally scoffed, not wanting to quickly admit his fallacy.

"Right, you definitely don't sound self-centered now." she sarcastically retorted "Plus, is there even a way to act like I know you?"

"Are you really sure that you know who I am?"

"Yes, I do. You're Austin Moon, the teen pop sensation!" she finally snapped. He sure knew how to get to her nerves.

"Ah, so you do know me!"

"Yeah, so? Why does that matter?"

"Because you just said it yourself. I'm Austin Moon, _the _teen pop sensation. I'm internationally known. I'm a celebrity. But you act like that doesn't even matter!

"What happened to not sounding so self-centered?"

Austin fell silent as she looked at him expectantly, her Chocolate Brown eyes burn through him. It was true- what he said- he didn't want to sound like a complete conceited jerk to her(because she probably already thinks that since she's not fond of him) and he totally wasn't, but she as making it so hard for him not to be one; although she really wasn't doing anything wrong.

He sighed and returned her gaze. "I'm not a self-centered dirt-bag, okay? I'm just... Ah, why is it so hard?!" he threw his hands up.

'_God, Austin, why are you so nervous_.' he mentally slapped his face '_She's just another girl!_'_  
_

Ally's eyebrows furrowed as she watched Austin silently debate with himself. '_What is wrong with him?_' she thought.

A minute(maybe even longer- it felt longer for the two of them) of silence settled between them again but Austin just couldn't handle it. So he broke it.

"Have you at least listened to one of my songs?" he asked, looking at her with hopeful eyes.

"What?"

"You said you know who I am, right?" she reluctantly nodded "Then surely you've heard at least one of my songs."

"Yeah, about one or two- Dez made me listen to it..." she answered. She was still confused as to why he wanted to know. She was starting to think that Austin is, in fact, a complete narcissistic spoiled brat- that was what she originally thought of him when Austin's career first shot up. But she set those aside when she learned that she was going to 'babysit' him, after all she doesn't completely know him yet, so who was she to judge him, right?

"And?" Austin snapped her out of her thought, his hands gesturing for her to continue.

"And what?"

"What do you think? Is it any good?"

'_Nope!_' she thought '_He's an egoistic boy, alright._'

Ally pursed her lips- should she be honest with him? She knew it would hurt his ego if she said that she didn't like any of his songs but then again, she'd be lying if said that she like it and she didn't like lying to people. Especially to those she just met or barely knew, it wouldn't exactly be a good first impression if she lied.

As she debated with herself on whether she would toll him the truth or not, Austin grew impatient.

A deep sigh escaped him "Look, just tell me if you didn't like any of my songs, I can take criticism, okay?"

'_I doubt it._' A voice in her head told her but she chose to ignore it.

"What? Oh, yeah... I, uh... yeah, I don't like it..." she decided to go with the truth.

"Really?" his face dropped. He felt his heart deflate the moment the words escaped her lips- Dez was right, she really wasn't a fan of his.

Ally gave him a slight nod and a rueful smile. It was true, she really wasn't fond of his songs but she is(a little bit) sorry for him because his ego looked completely hurt that she didn't like any of his songs.

Although, the(rueful) smile that she showed, gave him a small sense of hope- maybe she wasn't a fan of his but there has got to be at least one song that she liked; one that made her want to jump around and sing along with the song or at least one that might want her to tap her foot along with the beat. He was determined to find that song- even if it meant that he had to sing all of his songs to her. And that was what he's exactly gonna do.

He darted out of the kitchen, leaving a still confused Ally.

"Wait, where are you going?" she called once she realized that he was about to leave the room.

"I just have to get something." he back tracked to her "Just stay here, okay?"

Before she could reply or complain, Austin already left heading to his room where he had an acoustic guitar.

After Austin left, Ally found herself literally doing what he told her- she just stood where she was, not even moving a single muscle. It was like her feet were glued to the floor. Why she was so eager to know what he was doing, she didn't know.

A few minutes later, Austin came back, a little out of breath and holding an acoustic guitar.

"Okay, before you complain or tell me that you don't like it," he panted "Just listen, okay?"_  
_

"O-okay..." she agreed, slowly nodding.

"_**I got that Rock and Roll, yeah, yeah**_"

He started singing and strumming his guitar.

"_**I'll make you lose control, yeah, yeah**_

_**C'mon and dance to my flow, yeah, yeah**_

_**'Cause I got what I got, don't you know**_

_**I got that Rock and Roll**_"

Then he continued on to sing the whole song; although Ally still didn't seem to be impressed with him.

She just politely smiled at him. Meaning that she's grateful of what he was doing but she still wasn't fond of his songs.

"You still did't like it, did you?" he asked after he strum the final chord.

"Uh, no..." she shook her head "Sorry. I mean... I just really don't..."

"Really? What did you not like about it?" he wasn't ready to give up just yet "Maybe you didn't like the sound of the guitar- it was a little off tune. What other instruments do you like hearing?"

"Oh, I um... I do love the sound the piano makes, it's so soft and-" she didn't get to finish the sentence because Austin had already grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"A-Austin, what are you doing?" she struggled to keep up with his pace as she frantically tried to break free of his grasp but he held her wrist firmly.

"Just come with me," he ordered as they reach the second floor.

'_What in the world is he planning to do?!_' she was starting to panic.

Then they continued up to the third floor, he led her inside the attic- which didn't exactly look like an attic 'cause it was huge- one side of the room was a gaming area, where there was a big couch, two La-Z-Boys, a coffee table in the middle, a large T.V. set opposite the seats, gaming consoles, a pile of un-neat gaming discs(which Ally had to urge to clean up and put back to the rack neatly), a pinball machine and a Foosball at the corner. While the other side of the room was the practice area of Austin(that's what she assumed), where there were lots of different instruments from a piano to a drum set to a tuba, a clarinet and even a triangle- it was like a mini version of Sonic Boom.

Austin finally let go of Ally's wrist and he sat down on the piano bench, the acoustic guitar lay atop(a matter Ally didn't fail to notice). He started playing the piano version of '_Can you feel it_'.

"_**Can you feel it**_"

His voice was slow, soft and smooth.

"**_Coming down, down, down.  
_**

**_Can you feel it  
_**

**_Coming down, down, down.  
_**

**_Movin' faster, stronger, harder._**"

Okay, Ally had to admit the song sounded good when it was strip down and was only sung with the piano but that was all. She still didn't like it any better and Austin saw that in her expression. Though, he still continued on.

"_**Movin' faster, stronger, harder.**_

_**Can you feel it, **_

_**Turn it up, up, up**_

_**Can you feel it,**_

_**Turn it up, up, up**_

**_Can you feel it, feel it, feel it._**"

Then he stopped, knowing that Ally still didn't like it.

"Still don't like it?" he looked at her, just standing there staring at him.

She shook her head again "No, not really. Although, it sounded better with the piano..." she trailed off. She was starting to get tired with Austin's antics.

He was beginning to lose hope but he had to try one more time- he really wanted her to like- er, his songs. So, he grabbed the harmonica and started playing the melody of '_Double Take_'.

"_**They wanna know, know, know**_

_**Your name, name, name**_

_**They want the girl, girl, girl  
**_

_**With game, game, game.**_

_**And when they look, look, look**_

_**Your way, way, way**_

_**You're gonna make**_"

Then he blew on the harmonica.

"_**Make, make, 'em do a double.**_

_**Yeah, make, make, make 'em do a double take**_-"

"Okay, Austin, stop!" Ally took the harmonica from him- she had had enough of his messing around "Just stop, okay?" she told him.

"You still don't like it?!" he stared at her incredulously "I can't believe this! Why are you making this so hard!" he huffed.

"What? _I'm _making this hard? How can I make this hard, I'm not even doing anything!"

"Because you don't like any of my songs!" he snapped "And I'm trying so hard to make them better for you, at least show some appreciation."

"I do appreciate it- I appreciate your effort for trying but I just really don't like your songs. What's hard to understand there?" her voice raised, she was starting to get irritated(and she rarely ever got irritated but it seemed that these past few days- since she met Austin- she had been quite irritable).

"Everything!" he shot back "I can't believe that some teenage girl doesn't like my songs!"

"Whoa, okay, Mr-not-so-self-centered, newsflash: Just because you're famous doesn't mean everybody likes you. Besides why do you even care about my opinion? I'm just another teenage girl, right?" there was a hint of hurt in her voice but she ignored it "And I didn't ask you to do any of these, so why don't you go and sing to other girls who actually like hearing you sing 'cause I'm sure they'd be ecstatic about it, unlike me. So, why should you care about my opinion?"

Austin stared at her- this was definitely and Ally he didn't expect to see. Then he realized that she was actually waiting for him to answer her question. But he doesn't have one- why did he care? Why did he try so hard?

"I don't, okay." he finally answered "I don't care. I just... I don't- whatever." he huffed, finally giving up the chance to even explain himself because really, he doesn't have an explanation.

In all honesty, Ally didn't think it would hurt that much when Austin said he didn't care but apparently, she was wrong 'cause it did hurt- a lot more than she cared to admit(though it puzzled her why).

She felt her heart drop to her feet and her insides twist into one- she definitely didn't expect that from him, nor did she expect herself to be so down by it. But she didn't want his to know that she was affected by it because really, why would she be affected by it, he didn't matter to her right? Just like how she didn't matter to him.

Silence has been a recurring thing between the two and it definitely won't stop anytime soon because another one fell upon them. They stared at each other; his Hazel Brown orbs against her Chocolate Brown ones.

Seconds turned into minutes and they still didn't break away from their gazes- they just stood there, thinking about what is happening.

Obviously, both of them are very confused of what was happening; one minute they were okay and just eating pancakes quietly, then the next thing they knew they were screaming their throats out to each other. It was weird at first then it became intense but now it was just awkward.

It was a good thing that Austin's mom came home and they broke off the tension. They heard a car park on the driveway of the house and then the engine died and she was out of it. The main door of the house opened and closed.

"Austin, honey, where are you?" Mimi called "Ally?"

"We're in the attic, mom." he hollered as loud as he can so that his mom could hear him from all the way down "We'll be right down in a minute."

Austin gestured for Ally to go out of the room first. She rolled her eyes at him but still did as she was told.

She exited the attic and head for downstairs with Austin behind her.

'_What is his problem?!_'Ally thought as she went down the steps, she could feel Austin's eyes burn through her as they trudged down. '_First he acts like he cares- he even offered me pancakes! He tries so hard to impress me, and now he denies that he even cared!_'

A low huff escaped her lips- she was so frustrated- as they reach the living, where Mrs. Moon was waiting for them.

"Hello, Ally!" Mimi greeted her, giving the girl a quick hug "Where's Austin?"

"Oh, he's, uh... coming down now..." she whirled around to see him going down the stairs.

"Hi, mom." he waved at his mom.

"Hello, honey, how was day?"

Austin shrugged "It was okay..." he stole a glance at Ally, who just rolled her eyes(again).

"Really? What did you two do?"

"Not much..." Austin casually replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

His mom disregarded what her son said and turned to Ally "Did Austin do anything troublesome, Ally?"

His eyes grew wide and cheeks turned red "Mom!"

Ally chuckled "He did nothing, Mrs. Moon. He was... okay." she glanced at Austin.

Mimi raised an eyebrow at the two of them "Are you sure, Ally? You can tell me anything."

Austin groaned "Ugh, mom, everything is okay! I didn't do anything!" he insisted.

"Is he telling the truth, Ally?"

She gave Mimi a curt nod "He didn't do anything. He's telling the truth. He's... okay." she said, giving Mimi a half-hearted smile(Austin took notice of this).

"Okay, then you can go now. I'm sure you're tired so you can go home now. See you again tomorrow, Ally. And thank you too." she told her "Austin, why don't you escort Ally outside."

Before either of them could protest, Austin's mom had already pushed them out of the living room. Both of them stumbled out of the room. Ally tripped and she found herself holding on to Austin's(muscular) arm, steadying herself to not fall down.

She closed her eyes and gripped his arm tighter- his body tensed as the skins of their arms and shoulders brushed against each other.

"Um, A-Ally..." he cleared his throat, trying his hardest to ignore an odd sensation buzzing all around his body.

Her eyes slowly opened and she looked up at him, both their cheeks turning bright as they got lost in each others eyes again.

"Oh, um s-sorry... I, um didn't mean to... you know..." she trailed off and she withdrew her grip from his arm, pushing herself away from him.

"It's okay..." he shook his head.

Then quietly and rather awkwardly, they walked out of the house. Austin held the door open for her(just for the sake of formality- that's what he kept telling himself).

Ally gave him a small smile "Thank you." she muttered as she exited the house, expecting the door to slam shut once she was out. But apparently not because Austin followed her to their porch.

"Why didn't you tell my mom?" he asked once he securely closed the door. He was worried that his mom would hear them.

"What do you mean?" she turned around to face him, a look of confusion evident in her expression.

"You could've told her what I did."

"What _did_ you do?"

He opened his mouth but no words came out- what did he do? He didn't know why he was worried that she'd rat him out but she was right, he didn't do anything wrong.

"I-I just thought-" he broke off, not knowing what to say.

"You did nothing, at least nothing worth telling your mom." she reassured him, although this time she had an adamant expression. "As I have told your mom, you did nothing- you're okay..."

"Right, yeah... okay..." he replied to her, nodding "Nothing..."

She returned the nod with another smile before departing, leaving a really confused Austin on their porch.

He watched as Ally opened the gate of their house, closed it and walked out into the streets.

'_She's walking home?_' he thought. And couldn't help but have the urge to get in his car and drive her home or just follow her and accompany her until she was close enough to her house, but he fought that feeling.

"No, I don't care." he shook his head as he head back inside their house "I don't care." he kept muttering to himself "You don't care, Austin. You don't."

"Don't care about what, little prince?" his mom suddenly came out of the living room.

"Mom!" he abruptly stopped "I- uh, it's n-nothing... but just out of curiosity, mom, is Ally's house far from here?" he scratched the back of his neck, suddenly becoming interested on the floor.

"Ally's house?" his mom gave him a cheeky grin "Well, I haven't been to Dawsons' house" his face fell "but I do remember Penny telling me that it was just a streets away from here."

"Really?" he looked up at his mom hopefully.

"Yes." she nodded "But why are you suddenly so interested, little prince?" she quirked at eyebrow at him.

"I, uh... I'm not." Austin tensed, avoiding his mom's gaze once more "I just- don't call me 'little prince', mom." he said before darting upstairs.

He could his mother's eye follow his retreating figure and she chuckled at her son.

The moment he set foot on the second floor, he grabbed his car keys from its hook by the door of his parents' room and head inside his room. He peeked outside his window, he could faintly see Ally's figure heading east from his house- he could still catch up to her, if he wanted to.

"Ah!" he pulled at his Blonde hair "You don't care, Austin. You don't. Stop trying to act like you do- she already thinks that you are a self centered jerk." he reprimanded himself, pacing to and fro in his room. He glanced back to his window again, he couldn't fully see Ally but there was still a speck of Chestnut Brown hair moving farther away from his house. "Ah, you know what, I don't care."

'_Oh, but you actually do._' a voice inside his head told him.

"Shut up!" he told it. Despite this, Austin found himself grabbing his Red leather jacket(which is his favorite) and going downstairs to his car.

"Mom, I'm going out." he called as he head outside to the garage.

"Where are you going?" Mimi said, following him out. "Dinner will be ready in five minutes and your father will arrive any minute now."

"Dez needs my help mom." he lied as he clicked open his Red Lincoln car "I'll be back by dinner, promise."

Then he drove out of the driveway, heading east.

* * *

As Ally walked farther away from the Moons' mansion, she recalled everything that had happened. How thing were going okay between her and Austin, how they made those delicious pancakes while randomly sang one his songs- they were okay at that point but then things started to go downhill. Austin sang another one of his songs to her with an acoustic guitar. At first, she thought he was serenading her(which would've been so flattering if he really did) but then she realized that he was just trying to impress her. That only made her not like him or the song her played.

Then he continued on singing a few of his songs and she finally concluded that he wasn't just trying to impress her, he was showing of to her.

"Narcissistic Brat." she muttered to herself as she walked on the side walk, remembering the disappointed feeling she experienced when he said that he didn't care about her- er, her opinion.

"If you don't care, then don't act like you do!" she blurted out from no where- it was a good thing that no one was around to hear her.

Then she remembered them brushing shoulders and her face instantly turned pink; she remembered grabbing his muscular arm and holding on to it like it was her life line.

"What was that all about, Ally?" she scolded herself, smacking her forehead. She shook her head.

"Stop it, Ally!" she told herself when she remembered Austin's gentleman gesture and opened the door her- she hoped it was a gentleman gesture and not just a showing off one. '_At least let it be a formality one._' she silently prayed.

It was weird, really. How she was all worked up on him- heck, she even did some research on him in the Internet. But that did nothing to help her with the whirlwind that was Austin Moon. He was cocky and very conceited- that was what Ally thought of him today.

Although, she did note how helpless he looked like when his mom started questioning them about what they'd done today. She smirked as she remembered his stricken expression as his mom interrogated them and then the confused expression when she didn't tell on him.

But that was the thing that bothered her- why would she rat him out? She never even thought of doing that until he asked her; he did nothing bad, really. Maybe he had offended her a little bit but that was not entirely his fault, and it wasn't worth telling his mom. It was actually his problem that she got offended really easily.

"Stop over thinking, Ally!" she told herself yet again.

"Ally?" someone else said her name.

Her head darted up from the pavement, half expecting that Austin was the one who called her but that couldn't be because the voice was soft and girly.

"Ally, what are you doing here?" it was Trish.

"Trish!" she exclaimed, more surprised than pleased. "I-I didn't see you there. How- how long have you been there?"

"Not long, but what are you doing here? I thought you were going to help your mom pack her stuff?" the Latina said "So then I came to your house but your mom told me that you're not there..." she raised a skeptical eyebrow at her best friend. She knew Ally was hiding something from her.

Ally tensed "Oh, I uh... I just h-had to ran an errand for my dad..." she lied.

That was like her fourth lie in a month- it was all because of Austin.

'_Oh, come on!_' she inwardly told herself. Her thoughts were back to Austin again and it was ticking her off.

"Really? Your dad made you do an errand at 8:15 p.m.?"

"Yup." she nodded, hoping to sound as convincing as possible.

"I don't believe you, Ally." Trish shook her head because she really didn't believe a word Ally said- she knew the Brunette was hiding something from her. "Your dad would never send you out at this time of night."

"Yes, he would." Ally insisted "It's just 8:15 p.m. not midnight."

"Ally, your curfew is 9:00 p.m. and you need to be asleep by 10 o'clock, I don't think your dad would send you out at this time. So, let me ask you again: what are you doing here?"

Ally nervously chuckled "He would, Trish. Plus, I'm not a little girl anymore- I can stay up as late as I can and I most definitely can be out at this time." she said rather proud of herself.

Trish smirked at her "You sleep at 10:30 p.m.?"

She sheepishly nodded- the Latina really did know her well.

"Okay, so what are you doing here?"

"I told you I had to run an errand for my dad- he makes me do a lot of stuff for him 'cause he says it's be a lot easier and cheaper, and running an errand is one of them."

"That is true, isn't it? Your dad really makes you do a lot of stuff..."

"Yeah, remember when that time when he sent me to Arts and Craft Camp so I can learn how to make a cage for Owen because he said that it'd be too expensive to buy a real cage."

Trish laughed, remembering the summer when they were 13. "Yeah, that one completely back fire on him. For one thing, Arts and Craft Camp was not cheap- I didn't even know that a camp such as 'Camp Craft-A-Monga' exists! And for another, you came home with a crush on one of the other campers- Elliot." she wriggled her eyebrows at the mention of the boy Ally used to have crush on but has long since gone. "You should've seen your dad's face when you went out on that first date with Elliot." the Latina chuckled again.

Ally lightly blushed. She remembered that date- it wasn't the best date she'd ever been to, granted that it was her first date ever, but it wasn't the worst either; it was a few months after she went to 'Camp Craft-A-Monga' and Elliot was visiting Miami with his parents, the boy instantly looked for Ally and asked her out on a date(she said yes, of course). They went to Trivia Night at Champy's on their date and through all the trivia that was asked, they found out that they have nothing in common except for Camp. Though, they remained friends after that(in fact, she was still in contact with Elliot).

The Brunette shook her head in amusement "To be fair that wasn't really how I expected a perfect first date to go, so dad still got his reward afterwards..." she added as an after thought "Although, he still had to buy Owen a cage because they didn't teach us how to make cages in Camp."

Trish chuckled, nodding "Yeah, maybe your dad really makes you do a lot of stuff." she agreed, finally giving up the idea that her best fried was hiding something from her.

"Yup." she was relieved that Trish bought her lie "But, uh, what about you? What brings you here Trish?" Ally changed the subject, wanting to divert her best friends attention from her.

"Oh, yeah, my mom wanted me to check the new neighbors on the next streets, she said that the new people just moved in. Have you heard of that?"

"Um, y-yeah... I think I remember mom telling me about that the other day..." she tried to act as natural as she can. She knew Trish was talking about the Moon family.

"Really? Have you met them?" Trish grinned at her "Do they have a son? I hope they do- maybe he's cute." she squeaked.

'_Oh, he's cute alright..._' Ally bitterly thought '_Just not his attitude._' but Trish didn't need to know that- she didn't need to know that Ally was "Babysitting" the new neighbor, who happens to be a teen pop sensation and also that she agreed with him being cute.

She shook her head. "I don't know, Trish but why don't you tell me once you find out, yeah? I better get going; dad must be looking for me."

"Yeah, okay. See you tomorrow- wait, do you know where the house is?" I kinda, maybe forgot where it was..."

"How can you come all the way here and forget where you're actually going?" Ally laughed.

"I don't know... We talked for a long time, Ally" she shrugged "You know how easily I get side-tracked."

"Trish..." she gave her best friend a knowing look- this was just classic Trish. "I don't know where the house is, but I'm sure it's just somewhere here..."

Ally gestured around their neighborhood. She didn't want to lie to Trish anymore but since she knew she still can't tell her the truth, she decided to just give her vague answers.

Her best friend shook her head "Eh, nevermind. I'll just tell my mom it got too dark out and I bumped into and decided to just go to your house. So let's hang out in your house."

Trish-" but her Latina friend had already grabbed her wrist and dragged her all the way to her house.

On their way to Ally's house- as Trish rambled on about things Ally had absolute no idea of, the Brunette tried to rid of her thoughts of the cute Blonde haired, Hazel Brown eyed, self-centered jerk(yeah, it was a mouthful but that's what she thought of him). To no avail, Ally found herself replaying her encounter with Austin that day.

She had mixed feelings over it and that confused her- why would she have mixed feelings? She didn't care about him. But why was she even thinking of him in the first place?

As they reached her house Ally couldn't the feeling that someone was following them.

"Hello, Earth to Ally!" Trish waved a hand in front of her.

Ally snapped out of her thoughts "Uh, sorry what? I wasn't listening."

Trish sighed "Yeah, I noticed."

"Hey, Trish, is it just me or do you also feel like someone is following us?"

"What?" her best friend looked at her with bewilderingly as they stood on the front porch "It's just you, Ally."

Then the two friends entered her house.

* * *

It took Austin less then a minute to track down Ally, his car was a few blocks away from her when he noticed that she stopped walking was not talking to another girl.

The other girl was short and plump with curly Black hair and Black pits for eyes.

'_She must be a friend of hers._' Austin thought as he parked on the other side of the road, about ten meters away from the two girls.

They've been talking for quite a while and his curiosity finally got the best of him and he eavesdropped on them. He killed the car engine and got out of his car. He ducked behind the hood of his car, straining his ears, hoping to catch what the two girls were talking about. But even then, he couldn't hear them clearly. He only heard the words: "dad", "face", "first date" and a name: "Elliot".

"Does she have a boyfriend?" Austin could hear the disappointment in his own voice. He really wanted to know what they were talking about.

'_Right, 'cause this is totally not creepy._' he thought as he lightly smacked his head on the side of his car.

'_And you said that you didn't care._' another voice in his head mocked him.

"Shut up." he muttered low as he leaned down on his car. "God, Austin, what are you doing?"

He peeked at the again and noticed that they finally started walking again. He followed them- he had to make sure that the girl with Ally is not a bad or something(for all he knows, she could be a burglar or murderer, that's what he kept telling himself as he followed them down the street). He was just making sure that Ally would get home safe.

Austin followed them by foot to the curb, the two girls continued to walk until they reached a junction and then turned left.

He waited for a few seconds before he ran up to the corner, hiding behind a lamp post. He saw Ally and her friend walk further before stopping in front of one of the houses- that must be her house. Or it could be the other girl's house.

The two girls stood on the porch of the house, Ally looked around and Austin ducked behind a fence- he was sure that Ally was looking for something. Did she sense that he was following her?

Just as the two girls entered the house, Austin's phone rings in his pocket.

He stood up straight and started walking back to where he initially came from. He got his phone form his pocket and saw that his mom was calling him, though he didn't dare answer the phone call- he knew his mom would just tell him to come home this instant. Instead, he just texted his mom that he was on his way home.

He got to his car by the curb on the street and he drove back home, still feeling utterly confused about what is happening to him- more so, with his life.

Once he returned home, Austin was met with a very worried Mimi Moon.

"Where have you been? You said that you'd be back by dinner."

"I told you, I was helping Dez with a project and it turns out that he needed more help than I expected so I lost track of time. It's really not that late, mom..." Austin nonchalantly replied.

"Okay, but still you should answer your phone when I call. Now, why don't you eat your dinner, I save up some casserole for you."

"It's okay, mom." he shook his head "I actually had pancakes with Ally earlier today, so I'm good."

"Oh, so you're getting along well with Ally?" his dad asked him, as Mike sort out some business papers on the coffee table of their living room.

Only now did he notice that his dad was finally back from the factory. Guess, he really was out that long. "We're okay." Austin shrugged "Can I go now? I'm really tired."

That wasn't true. He didn't feel tired at all(well, maybe just a little bit) but he did feel slightly sad though he didn't know why.

His mom nodded "Okay, I guess you got tired helping Dez..."

Without another word, Austin made his was up the stairs. He hung his car keys back to its place, by his parents' bedroom room door, and then head to his room.

He quickly collapsed down his bed, remembering all the things that happened between him and Ally. He ran a hand through his hair.

"What is wrong with you, Austin?!"

Honestly, he didn't know what he was feeling- he was so confused about everything!

That night, both Austin and Ally didn't sleep well. They tossed and turned in their respective beds but still they couldn't sleep. Thoughts and feelings bothering them about each other. Neither knew why this was suddenly happening to them but they sure did not like it- they did not like how a strange buzzing feeling in their gut when they were around each other.

And because of that, they both started to unconsciously dislike the company of one another. Because they didn't like the way they felt when they were around each other.

* * *

**A/N: Yayyyyy! Another chapter done. It's long isnt it? But that's just how the way it is.**** What do you guys think of it? Tell me your thoughts in the reviews. Heh, that kinda escalated quickly didn't it. They're acting so weird aren't they? I just hope that I didn't make them too OOC(not only Austin and Ally but Trish and Dez too). I don't know... what do you guys think? What will happen next? Hehe, there's a lot of tension between Austin and Ally, Dez certainly thinks so too. Hahahaha. :D  
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**Anyway, I have a lot more to come. I'm already done polishing the fourth chapter, it'll be up in a week or so. I'm also polishing the fifth chapter and I'm also almost done with the sixth! Yay, I'm sooooo proud of this fic, cause I feel like this is the most progress that I've made in any of my multi-chapter fics(not just in the A&amp;A fandom but also in my other fandom). Update will be soon, guys, just bear with me for a few more days. :D**

**If you have any questions about this fic, you know maybe, I made some incorrect references or I didn't explain things well enough, you can always ask me in the review or PM me, I promise I don't bite. =D**

**Well, that's it for now guys! I hope that you guys like this! The next chapter will be up soon! Thanks for the support, it means a lot and I really appreciate it. :)**

**Up Next: Well, something really interesting will happen in this "babysitting" job.**

**~Lou**


	4. Some Job You Got

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin&amp;Ally, all rights go to the Creators.**

**Enjoy!**

**Something really interesting happens in this one. A whole roller coaster Auslly feels ride!**

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_~ It's not a silly little moment, it's not the storm before the calm ~_

_/ John Mayer 'Slow Dancing In A Burning Room' /_

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Chapter 4: Some Job You Got.

The next few days for Austin and Ally were boring and very awkward but nonetheless, uneventful. They never spoke of their heated argument on Ally's first day "babysitting" Austin. They were formal around on another.

Although, occasionally, Austin would sing one of his songs just for the sole purpose of irritating her when she was around.

'_Hey, if she doesn't like my songs then at least just let me have fun with it- at the expense of her getting annoyed._' he once thought on a Wednesday afternoon as he played the drums rather obnoxiously and loudly on the attic because she was on the terrace having her "Ally time".

Finally, today was a Friday- the last day in which Ally will "babysit" Austin for the week. Both of them couldn't be anymore happy.

Ally went straight to the Moons; mansion after school that day, she asked Dez if he was going to Austin's house as well(she was hoping that she didn't have to spent the last day of the week alone with Austin because he really annoys her) but the Redhead declined her offer, reasoning that he was working on a new film project.

Ally unlocked the fate and entered the Moons' Mansion. She locked the gate again and head for the front porch. She rang the doorbell even though she had a key to the house.

She heard a groan from the inside of the house and she rang the door bell again, a smile playing on her lips.

"My mom gave you a key to the house so you don't have to ring the door bell every time you come here!" Austin glared at her once he opened the door.

"I know," Ally smirked at him. What? Nobody ever said she can't even with him every time he sang one of his songs(loudly) just to irritate her.

"Then why don't you use it?" he scoffed as he let her in the house.

"I don't want to just barge in on someone else's house," she walked past and directly head to the kitchen with him following behind. "It's called good manners."

He didn't retort anything back as they proceeded to make the pancakes.

One little fact about Austin and Ally was that, despite them not getting along, it became a routine for them(over the course of the week that they spent together) to make pancakes once Ally arrives at his home- that was one of the reasons why she heads to his house immediately after her school(upon his pleading request, of course).

That was how they started their day(afternoon) together, making pancakes.

After that, they'd eat the pancakes quietly(sometimes Austin would sing; much to Ally's annoyance) and at some point, Ally would stop eating pancakes because she suddenly wants pickles and she lets Austin finish the rest of the pancakes while she eat a pickle or two.

That went on from Monday to Friday and they both like it because they were comfortable with each other when they just eat pancakes and pickles. They'd make small talk with each other as they cleaned the mess they(again it was all him) made then leave each other alone with their own businesses.

But today, Austin was a little extra grumpy. He didn't know why because normally, he'd be ecstatic that the week was finally ending and that the whole "babysitting" thing would be over(until it starts off again the next week) but something inside him just didn't want the week to end just yet.

"You seem awfully quiet today..." Ally said as she ate her first pickle of the day.

"What?" he stopped eating the pancakes and stared at her.

"Well, normally you'd have sung at least a song or two by now..." she said matter of factly.

He smirked at her "Already missing my voice, are you?"

"Yeah, actually, no. It's nice to have some peace and quite for once."

He rolled his eyes at her "Whatever." he scoffed.

She shook her head but didn't say anything back.

Silence fell upon them but they've grown used to it that it was _almost_ comfortable for them. Suddenly, Austin has a change of mood and he got up, the plate of pancakes in his hand, and he headed to the living room.

"Where are you going?" Ally asked, an eyebrow arched at him.

"To the living room. I want to watch Zaliens while eating these pancakes." he shrugged "Wanna come?"

"Zaliens? That boring Alien-Zombie movie? You like that movie."

"Yeah, and it's Zombie-Alien not Alien-Zombie. But why, don't you like that movie?"

Ally shook her head once again "No, it's boring and over-dramatic."

A gasp escaped Austin and he looked offended- outraged even(which reminded her of Trish's and Dez's reaction when she first told them that didn't like the Zaliens movies). "You don't like Zaliens? Boring horror movie?" he started at her incredulously "Those words don't even go together. But I should've known, since you don't like my songs, you probably don't like a lot of fun stuff." he snorted.

She glared at him "Excuse me? Are you saying that I'm not a fun person?"

He raised an eyebrow at her "Yes, I am. You probably are. I mean, come on, you like pickles more than pancakes. I think that says it all on its own..." he tutted.

"For your information, I am a fun person!" she defended "Plus, pickles are healthier than pancakes, so of course I like pickles more than pancakes."

"Oh, yeah? Prove it." he challenged "The fun part not the pickles part."

She laughed "Okay, let's go. Let's watch Zaliens."

Then she headed to the living room, Austin following her. A smile crept its way to his lips, there's something about watching one of his favorite movie series with Ally that made him smile.

Ally plopped down on the couch facing the T.V. "Okay, let's get this over with." she told him.

He grinned at her, set the plate of pancakes on the coffee table in front of them and he sat down next to her. He turned on the T.V. and played the movie(somehow, a Zalien movie was always playing on one of the channels in cable T.V.- the movie must be that popular).

The movie started and Austin glanced at Ally expectantly but her expression was plain, almost bored.

He shook his head '_She'll like it once the good part comes._' he told himself as he resumed eating the rest of the pancakes.

Half way through the movie, Ally stood up from her seat and headed to the kitchen. "What are you doing?" Austin asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I'm bored and I want a pickle." she replied "So, I'm going to get the jar in the kitchen."

"You can't, the good part is about to come." he insisted, shaking his head in disapproval.

Ally giggled at his childish attempt "Well, then just tell me what happens 'cause I'm not going to wait for five more minutes just to see the 'good part'."

And with that, she entered the kitchen and searched for the jar of pickles which she found at the back of the fridge.

"Stupid pickle..." Austin murmured when Ally left for the kitchen. Just then a loud buzzing is heard from the T.V. speakers. "Aw, yeah! Zalien Brain Suck!" he exclaimed.

"What?" Ally emerged out of the kitchen, a pickle jar at hand.

"You see, I told you the good part was coming." he pointed at the current scene on the T.V., where a Zalien was sucking the life out of a human- the Zalien had its hand(or claw or paw) on the human's head. The human shivered rapidly like he was being electrified and then suddenly, the human's head exploded and his body dropped dead on the ground.

"Oh, yeah, that's totally exciting." Ally rolled her eyes, sarcasm dripping form her every word.

"Just watch."

Ally shook her head and went back to her seat next to Austin on the couch. She nibbled at the pickle as they continued to watch the movie. They were silent for at least ten more minutes until Austin broke it.

He turned his head towards her "So, what do you think?"

She looked at him "Think about what?"

"The movie, duh!"

"I still don't like it." she deadpanned.

"Really?" he stared at her and incredulously "Why?"

"Because it's completely unrealistic and over dramatic. Plus I'm not really into action-pack or horror movies, I like rom-coms and chick flicks." she gushed.

For a split second Austin looked like he was going to agree with Ally but then he shook his head. He paused the movie and leaned back on the couch. "I should've known..." he put his hands behind his head.

Ally glared at him "Yeah, cause watching some fictional creature kill humans is _way_ better than finding true love." she scoffed.

Austin laughed "That's because it is!" he stated "It's more fun watching Bruce Willis beat the crap out of bad guys than watching Drew Barrymore fall in love with Adam Sandler 50 times over and over again."

She frowned at him "That's the plot line for '50 First Dates', why do you know that?"

"Uh... I-it's not because I watched it, if that's what you're saying..." he looked around the room, fiddling with the hem of his shirt and his tone going a pitch higher than his normal voice.

"Really?" Ally raised an eyebrow at him.

"Okay, so I saw it with my mom a few years ago..." he confessed "But not because I wanted to," he quickly defended "My mom wanted to watch it with my dad but he couldn't because there was an emergency at their work so she brought me with her- she didn't want to watch it alone, so I was her date."

"Aw, Austin that's sweet of you." she smiled at him "Okay, I believe you."

He felt his cheeks burn at her compliment, he returned the smile. And they locked eyes again. He thought that he had seen those Brown doe eyes and smile before but he couldn't remember where so he pushed those thought aside.

"What about you? Don't you at least like one horror or action movie?" he asked, clearing his throat.

She thought for a while "Um..." she paused "Well, there was this movie where Bradley Cooper starred in-"

"'The Hangover'?" he interrupted, his eyes gleamed with enthusiasm. "Part One or part Two? I didn't really like the Third one..."

"No, but I have seen that one- it was okay." she added before Austin could react "The movie called 'The A-Team'. I like that movie."

"Oh, yeah, I've seen that movie. So cool! Liam Neeson kicked some serious butts in that one."

"And also the first 'Men in Black' movie, although the cockroach alien thingy eating Tommy Lee Jones kinda grossed me out."

"Yeah, that was disgusting wasn't it?" he agreed "And the part when insects were coming out of the bad guy's mouth, that was awesome!"

"Yeah, no that was just disgusting, not awesome..."

Then they both laughed just letting the moment over take them. She leaned slightly to her side and he did, too so that their shoulders brushed. Then after a few minutes, Austin steadied his breathing and looked at Ally, who was still doubled over but was trying hard to contain her laughter.

"Okay, what about music? What kind of music do you listen to?"

"Well, they're certainly not your kind of music." she joked, smirking at him as a sign that she didn't mean any harm in that comment. "Let's see, I like Alicia Keys, Alanis Morissette, Adele and Vanessa Carlton, oh and Sara Barelles and Taylor Swift, of course. I also like Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Jason Mraz and Justin Timberlake and Bruno Mars." she finally finished.

"What?" she asked when he didn't respond to her.

"Oh, uh... I, uh, I guess I just didn't expect that. Huh, I kinda thought you'd be into Justin Bieber and One Direction or something like that..." he sheepishly shrugged.

She chuckled "Really? I mean, yeah their songs are okay, I guess but do I really strike you as someone who would be into Justin Bieber and One Direction?"

He shook his head "I guess not..."

Ally smirked "What about you? What type of music do you listen to, aside from your own?"

Austin rolled his eyes "Not that kind of person." he said "But I like bands like The Script and Maroon 5, I also like Coldplay, OneRepublic and Paramore. Um, who else..." he paused for a moment to think "Oh, and Jackson Lowe- he's my hero. And also Katy Perry, P!nk, Adele too. Then there's Justin Timberlake as well, both when he was on N'sync and solo," he added matter of factly "Usher, John Mayer, Bruno Mars and Taylor Swift."

"Hey, would you look at that, you're actually not _that_ self-absorbed." she joked as she nibbled at another pickle.

"Haha, very funny." he sneered at her, though there was no venom in her words "But what about old classic music, like I don't know... do you like The Beatles or-"

"I love The Beatles!" she squealed "And also Queen and Aerosmith, Billy Joel and Michael Buble."

"Hey, look at that, your taste in music is not bad." he imitated her tone early on and stole the pickle she was eating. "Despite you not liking my songs..." then he took a bite on the pickle.

"Hey, that's my pickle."

"Not anymore." he chuckled.

The two continued on talking with each other. They bonded over their love for music although they were very much different in other things.

"Come on, I told you my middle name," Austin whined "Now, tell my yours!"

"Not a chance, _Monica_!" Ally stuck her tongue out on him, teasing him once again, a chuckle escaping her lips. "But what about your other hobbies? Surely, you do something else than music right?" she changed the subject, not wanting to further talk about herself in case she blurts out something as embarrassing as his middle name.

"Don't try to change the subject." he frowned at her "Just tell me your middle name, I'm sure it's nothing worse than mine. Or is it?" he quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Nah, nothing's worse than your middle name," she shook her head "I mean, no offense to all the Monicas in the world but really? Out of all the second names your parents could've named you, it had to be 'Monica'."

"Ugh," he groaned, slouching back to the sofa "Come on, just tell me one secret that is as personal to you as my second name is to me."

She stifled her laughter, still looking at him with amused eyes. "Well..." she started "I guess, you did kind of earned it..." she bit her lip, hesitating if she could really tell him one of her deepest secrets. "Okay, well... I don't know if you've n-noticed but I really do love music" she sighed, stuttering a little "And I play the piano... so, I uh, I also sing and write songs..."

He was quiet for a moment, trying to register what she just said. "Oh, really?" he smiled at her "Well, let's hear it then! I want to hear you sing."

Ally shook her head vigorously "I-I can't..." she ducked her head down and avoided his burning gaze at her.

"What? Why?" Austin frowned "Come on, you can't be that bad... I'm sure you're great." he put a on her shoulder.

Her shoulders tensed at his touch and her eyes darted from the hand on her shoulder to his face. Austin noticed this quickly pulled his hand away from her shoulder. "Uh, s-sorry..." he murmured.

Then they were silent again; it seemed like another wall was put up between them, adding into the several walls that they've already broken down the past hour.

"I have stage fright..." she quietly answered after a few more minutes. "So, I can't really perform in front of anyone except for my parents and my best friend..." she fiddled with her fingers.

"Oh," was all he could say before another eerie silence took over them, again.

'_Come on, say something to comfort her!_' Austin told himself. And so he did.

"You know, if it makes you feel any better, I don't really write my own songs. I mean, I've tried a few times to write my own songs but they were really horrible. Like, I wrote this one song one time and it was called the 'Song Song' and... well, the only lyrics in it was the word song..."

"You're kidding right?" she giggled, smiling at him(he was quite proud of himself that he was able to lighten her mood).

"Nope." he shook his head "I'm that horrible at song writing... Hey, maybe one day you can teach me how to write songs!" he beamed at her.

"Yeah, maybe one day..." she nodded, a faint blush showing on her cheeks. Then they were silent again(for like the third time today although, this time it was more comfortable).

After a few more minutes, Ally cleared her throat "But, uh, enough about me..." she said "What about you? What other stuff do you do aside from your music?"

"Well..." he thought then shrugged "I, I don't do anything that much... I mean, when I was in L.A., all I ever did was go to the studio and record songs, go to boring meetings with producers and endorsers... that's just it really... so I don't, I really have nothing better to do aside from my music."

"Really? So, you don't go to school or at least, you know, have a tutor or something?"

"Nope. I mean, I used to go to school when I was in middle school but after that, things got a little too much for me so my parents decided to just not send me to school. And Jimmy also said that it was for the best since I'd probably get mobbed by crazy fangirls if I go to school..."

"Oh, Monica is talking again." she chuckled.

"Don't call me that!" he glared at her.

"Yeah, whatever. But from now on, I'm going to call you huge ego Monica." she said "But seriously, you don't do anything else? What was your favorite subject then when you were going to school?"

"Hmm... let's see," he scrunched his nose, taping his chin with his index finger "I'm not good at Science... certainly not at Math, too and History is pretty boring. I guess I'm okay at English... Oh, Geography!"

"Really? You love Geography?" her face broke into a grin "What's you favorite state?"

"Nah, I was pretty bad at Geography." he nonchalantly said, chuckling at her, suddenly, baffled expression "I mean, how can there be two Portlands?! Who would even think of naming two different cities from two different states the same! Seriously, can't they just name the states like 1st state, 2nd state and so on..."

"You're kidding, right? You don't like at least one subject?"

He shook his head "No... I practically slept through all my classes when I was at school, it was either because the subject was really boring or I was really tired from all the music stuff that I do. So, I really had no time for it..." he grimaced "Although, I was pretty good in P.E., I used to play basketball when I was in middle school- I was the ace player!" he popped his collar, smirking at Ally.

"Monica is talking again. You should really learn to filter yourself." she sing-sung, poking his sides "And maybe play basketball again. You look beefy." she joked.

"Yeah, yeah whatever." he rolled his eyes at her. "But what about you? What's your favorite subject? Let me guess... it's all of them isn't it?" he joked but then he saw her embarrassed expression and realized that every subject is her favorite.

"Wow, really?" he gaped at her.

"I love school, okay." she defended, her face as red as a tomato. "What's wrong there?"

Austin held his hands up, an innocent look plastered on his face. "I didn't say anything."

"Dork..." he faked a cough, grinning at her. She heard this and glared at him, hitting his arm.

"Shut up, Monica."

"I'm kidding." he laughed as he shielded himself from her petty slaps. "I think that it's adorable that you like school. It's... a-dork-able. There, it's dorky but adorable." he gave her a boyish grin.

'_Did he just call me adorable?_' the thought just came flying in her mind as she turned another shade of red. Though, Austin didn't seem to notice this so she didn't bring it up- maybe she just interpreted it the wrong way.

Another hour passed and they were still talking. He learned that she likes Cloud-Watching(whatever that was) and that she gets her song ideas from a goose that she named 'Pickles'(weird as it was, he found that adorable as well), and she learned that it's been his life long dream to become a famous singer(since he was in 4th grade, actually) and that he can drink hot sauce with his nose(she did not even want to know how he does it).

One of the only things that they probably agreed on- aside from the fact that they both have a passion for music- was that they both have arachnophobia(which was a fear of spiders). Although, they were a lot different, they still enjoyed talking with each other. And at some point, in the course of their conversation, Austin, somehow, managed to convince Ally to give his songs another try and made her promise to listen to his songs once she got home.

It was good, they were becoming more than just an 'acquaintance' to one another- they were starting to become friends.

He liked talking to her, and she did too. They were having a really great time. They enjoyed the company of one another- they felt comfortable talking and not minding anything else around them- and frankly, neither of them wanted it to end.

But sadly their conversation was put to a hold when Austin's phone rang.

"Okay, so what about- oh, wait sorry. It's Dez." he told her before answering the phone call. "Hey, Dez, what's up?" there was a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Yeah, uh, h-hey Austin," the Redhead sounded nervous and a little out of breath "Are you in your house? Is it okay if I come over,with a friend?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so." he shrugged "I mean, Ally is here but-"

"Great, we're already here."

Then they heard the front door burst open.

"Ally Dawson where are you?" someone shouted "You have some explaining to do."

"Trish?" Ally turned to the hallway as she heard the familiar voice. There she saw Dez, standing nervously beside her very outraged looking best friend.

"Dez, what is going?" Austin asked his best friend.

"Yeah, about that" Dez grimaced "Trish sorta found out that Ally is 'babysitting' Austin..."

"What?"

"Yeah, that's right, I did." Trish answered "And I can't believe you Ally! You didn't even tell me you got a new job, I mean I tell you every time I have a new job, which is very often. By the way, I'm Trish Dela Rosa and I would like to be your manager." she nodded at Austin.

Austin didn't respond to her- he was too busy processing what was happening. Ally didn't tell anyone that she was "babysitting" Austin?

'_I don't get it, d__oes she really despise me that much? Is she not proud of 'babysitting' me?_' he thought.

But then again, who would be, right? They were the same age and he needed her to "babysit" him. So, it was actually a rational thing to do- besides, that's what his record label wanted.

But Austin was far from being rational now; all rational thoughts in him just flew out the window- he just felt so betrayed by Ally. For one thing, he was starting to really open up to her, he was willing to let her in(and he rarely let's anyone in what with his crazy high profile life in the music business, it was really hard to trust someone) because he thought that she was different; she didn't treat him like he was some kind of royalty, she treated him like he was just another normal teenage- and it felt nice to be treated that way. But now, it was all changing as he listened to Ally reason out.

"Trish, I'm sorry." the Brunette started "I know I should've told you but I knew you were gonna act this way, I didn't want you to cause a scene because I promised Austin's mom not to tell anyone."

"My mom?" Austin interrupted, going to protective mode the moment he heard Ally mention his mom "What does my mom got to do with this?"

"Yes, your mom, Austin." Ally nodded "She made me promise not to tell anyone about 'babysitting' you."

"Oh, so you're blaming my mom for lying to your friend?"

Yup, all rational things for Austin went off the table now.

"What? Why would I even blame you mom? Austin, no that's not what I meant."

"So, what did you mean, huh? Who are you blaming it on?"

"I'm not blaming this on anyone!"

"Really? 'Cause all I heard from you was that it was my mom's fault that's why you lied."

"It's not your mom's fault. I'm not blaming her, Austin." Ally defended.

"Then who are you blaming it on?!"

Ally finally snapped- she couldn't believe what was happening right now. One moment she was actually enjoying hanging out with Austin and then Trish and Dez barge in on them and the next thing she knows she was arguing with Austin again. The worst part of it all was that their argument didn't even made any sense, she didn't even know why they were arguing for. She never- not once- ever mentioned that she was blaming his mom for everything that's happened to her these past few days.

If anything she was actually really grateful for Mimi and Mike because they helped her and her family get over though times.

"You!" she pointed at him.

"Uh, I really think we should get going-" Dez started walking backward to the front door but Trish stopped him and grabbed his arm, making him stay put in his place.

"Excuse me?!" Austin cut him off, glaring at Ally "You're blaming me for all of this? I'm not the one who lied, Ally, you did."

"Yeah, I wouldn't have lied if it weren't for you!"

"Me? It's my fault that you lied to your friend about 'babysitting' me? How can that even be my fault? That doesn't make any sense!" he shot back "I didn't even do anything. I don't even know your friend."

"I told you, I'm Trish-"

"Yes, it's your fault!" Ally jabbed finger at him, he sure did know how to push her buttons- she has never been this angry her entire life. "It's your fault because if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be stuck here 'babysitting' you because you probably did something before that made your parents think that you can't do anything on your own, that you are incapable of doing anything right or taking care of yourself that's why you need a 'babysitter' to do those things for you." she let out an air of breath "So, yes I lied to you, Trish and I'm sorry for that." she directed it to her best friend before glaring back at Austin "And I'm sorry that I lied because your mom thinks that you'd be embarrassed to have a 'babysitter' of your age- at that age. I'd be too, if I was as oh-so popular as -you are-"

"Ally!" Dez gasped- it was tactless, what Ally said and not once did he ever thought she would say something as belittling as that.

This was definitely an Ally none of them(not even Trish) have seen.

The words hurt, Austin knew that. He knew it hurt him because he felt his heart get pierced by a thousand swords- anyone would be hurt if someone said that to you- but he didn't let it get to him. He was used to hearing those kinds of things.

"No, Dez, it's okay." Austin shook his head, he tried to sound as expressionless as possible. Like he didn't just want to punch the wall. "I didn't ask for you to 'babysit' me." he told Ally "It's not like I begged for my parents to have you as my 'babysitter' because I don't need one." his voice was calm despite his inner turmoil "So, it's not my fault that you took on that job. In fact, I'm quite surprised that you're still here considering the amount of hatred you've got for me." he added "Plus, if I was purposely going to her a 'babysitter', I'd ask my parents to get someone a little older and mature than you are. Perhaps someone who's Blonde, like myself, and with a much more developed body structure." he smirked.

Then they heard another gasp, this time it was from Trish.

The last part of what he said was a low-blow(especially coming from him), he knew that but she hurt his feelings- he was just trying to get even.

Then they were silent for a few minutes- Trish and Dez just stood there staring at each of their best friend. They sure were not prepared for this one.

They thought it was over and that maybe they could just move on from there, but apparently it's not; not for Austin, at least.

"You know, what I don't understand is why you took on the job in the first place..." he started again "I mean, you said it yourself from when we first met that you didn't want the job, so why did you take it? I'm sure you'd be much more okay if you didn't take the job- both of us would be."

Ally inhaled sharply and closed her eyes. She wasn't going to snap at him anymore, she won't stoop down a level just to get back at him- not after his cheap shot at her. She let out the air of breath with a sigh and finally opened her eyes, looking at him directly in the eyes. "Sorry to disappoint you for taking the job, but we can't be all famous superstars now can we?" she faked a smile at him "Some of us actually have to work until we drop to get what we want. Some of us have to sacrifice what we love just so it won't be too hard for our family. Not everyone is born with a golden spoon."

Her voice broke but she didn't let that stop her. She continued "We're not all blessed with a perfect family, aren't we? So, excuse me for taking the job because I needed to, not because I wanted to- it was my only option because trust me, I'd take any other job right now." she finally stopped with a slight whimper, tears threatening to fall from her eyes but she fought it. She can't show Austin how affected she was of what he said- how hurt she is right now.

It might sound silly that Ally was affected by what Austin said because really, they barely knew each other, they have no special connection. She was just beginning to trust Austin; she was beginning to change her impression of him- that he was a complete smug- but then he goes and throws cheap shots at her and she's back into thinking that he's a celebrity dirt bag that's full of himself.

Austin stared at her for a few moments, taking in what she just said. "Hey, I had to work my ass off too just to get what I want." he defended "It's not like I just happen to come by L.A. and then I'm up there. So, don't think that I didn't work for it because I did, so I deserve what I get but arguing with some 'babysitter' is nor part of the package. In fact, a 'babysitter' is not even part of it in the first place." he finished with a sly smirk.

He knew he'd probably end up regretting what he said the next day because it was his angry and hurt ego that was talking now and not the cool, calm, collected down-to-earth Austin that he really was.

"Oh, yeah, right I'm sorry, I forgot I'm just some 'Babysitter'. "she feigned a mock "I don't even deserve talking to Mr. I'm oh-so great Austin Moon because I'm just some random unimportant person- unlike you- who is not worth anytime, right?"

She didn't even know where her anger was coming from but there's no stopping it now. He started it, but she will be the one to finish.

Austin opened his mouth to retort something back but he had no answer to her rather uncomfortable question because one part of him just wanted to scream at her and tell her that yes, she is not important to him but then a small voice inside his head kept telling him that she actually was important to him-in a very insignificant, minuscule way- no matter how small their interaction was, she actually mattered to him(how that happened, he didn't know) and also because it was rude to tell someone you barely know that they are unimportant.

To be honest, he doesn't even know what they were talking about anymore- her words confused him, it seemed like what she was talking about has some sort of double meaning to it. All he knew was that he was not very happy with their situation.

There was silence again and Trish and Dez just stood there uncomfortably as Austin and Ally have a stare down(maybe they should've just left when they had the chance- it certainly wasn't a situation either of them wanted to be in).

Finally, Ally cracked and she broke their glaring contest. His intense glare kind of made her want to break down and lash out on him but she couldn't do that- it would be unprofessional plus she'd only end up hurting herself if she does. So, she turned away from him and faced Trish.

"Let's go, Trish." she pushed past Austin, grabbing Trish's wrist and then storming out of the room.

"Ally, wait-" Trish's voice was cut off when the door slammed shut.

Dez stared at his best friend wide eyed and a little disturbed.

Austin saw the look his best friend was giving him and it irritated and set him off "What?"

The Redhead shook his head "What was that all about?" he gestured all around them.

"Hey, I didn't start it." he defended "She did!" he pointed at the spot were Ally stood early on.

"No, man that's not what I meant-"

"Then what did you mean?"

"I mean why are you acting so differently around Ally, the Austin Moon I know would never treat Ally or any other girl like that- Austin Moon is not tacky nor is he rude, and he definitely does not throw cheap shots. Especially at girls. So, again what on earth was that all about?"

Austin avoided his best friend's gaze, shifting uncomfortably. What Dez said was true- he'd never treat anyone like how he treated Ally today, not even when they were some rude, annoying paparazzi. Nope, he'd never done that to anyone, he respected everyone- he had manners. But there was just something about Ally that broke his cool, he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was but he knew Ally was the one doing it to him, she was the cause of it.

He shrugged "I... I don't know..." he played with his fingers "I just- there's something about her that just... I don't know, man..." he shook his head, getting rid of the image of Ally almost breaking down in front of him.

Now he felt the guilt of insulting Ally. He grieved as he remembered her voice breaking and her eyes welling up with tears. He knew he was the cause of it and that thought made him sad, guilty and angry at himself. But he couldn't help but feel a twinge of curiosity as to why she had reacted like that to him- he knew there must some deep down connection to it, there has to be if not then she wouldn't be that much affected.

Dez shook his head as well "But why did you have to say those things? It hurt her Austin- in many ways than you could ever think." the Redhead gave him a stern look. This was a side of Dez that Austin had never seen before- a mature and serious Dez and he's not that really fond of it. It made him feel like really childish.

Austin frowned "What do you mean? I'm just as hurt as she is, her words stung me too, Dez. I don't even know what she was talking about..."

Dez opened his mouth to say something but then it dawned on him that Austin was clueless about Ally's situation.

He sighed greatly "She didn't tell did she?"

Austin's eyebrows furrowed even more "Tell me what? What are you talking about, Dez?"

Rubbing his temples in frustration, Dez let out another heavy sigh "Before I tell you anything, please tell me you at least know her parents."

He nodded "Yeah, I've met them but what does Ally's parents got to do-

"And has she told you about anything about them?" Dez cut him off.

"I-I don't know, I can't remember" he paused to think for a moment "No, we've only talked for a few hours. I didn't get the chance to ask her about her parents." he bitterly said.

"Okay, the reason why Ally was like that is because she's having a hard time already for the past month. Wait, I'm not done yet," he wagged a finger at him, silencing all of his questions  
(which was a first) "Ally's parents are getting divorced-"

"What?!" Austin's eyes went wide as saucers.

"And her mom is moving to Africa next week." Dez added.

"Oh, come on!" he pulled at his hair. "You've got to be kidding me?!"

"No, man, it's all true. Ally's been going through that for the past month. That's why she said those things- it was probably because of the frustration and stress she's been getting. She just blew up, I guess, couldn't take it anymore and she just had to let out all the pent up feelings inside her."

"Oh, great now I'm gonna look like the bad one. I didn't even know any of those stuff!"

"Really?" Dez frowned "I kinda thought she told you since she hinted about it quite a few times in your '_little_' argument..."

"No, she hasn't, Dez. But seriously, you could've at least warned me about that when I told you Ally was my acquaintance..." he deadpanned.

"Uh, don't you mean 'babysitter'?" Austin glared at him. "I mean, sorry man but I have no right to tell you all about Ally's personal life and honestly, I thought that she told you."

Austin paced around the room, trying to think of the best way to apologize to Ally or least let her hear him out- to make it up to her.

"Dez, we've known each other for like a week, I don't think she'd tel me something that personal even if I've known her for a month!"

Dez shrugged "I'm not so sure about that... you can never really tell with Ally... girls are really confusing."

"Exactly!" he exclaimed "She's different- in a kind of good way, I think- but it's like one minute she's comfortable with me and the next she totally hates my guts. I only know some things about her, like I know that she has stage fright- which kinda seemed like a big thing about her but I don't even know when is her birthday or what's her favorite color."

"Really, she already told you that she has stage fright? She hadn't even told me that until after a year when I became friends with her." his best friend told him, and a small part of him took pride that Ally had told him something so personal sooner than when she had told Dez about it.

But that didn't really make him feel better about himself. He was still upset that he told Ally mean things because his ego was hurt while she only said those things because she was really stressed and frustrated. Compared to Ally's reason, his sounded like it came from an immature person- which he probably was at some point during their argument.

He groaned "Ah, what am I gonna do?! She probably hates me even more than before!"

"I'm sure you'll figure something out. The Austin Moon I know sure can." Dez patted his shoulder "Oh, and her birthday is on February 10 and her favorite color is yellow." then he left Austin to contemplate about what he did and what he will do to make up for it.

"Come on, Austin, think!" he said as he sunk down to the couch.

* * *

The moment Ally and Trish left Austin's house, tears started pouring out of Ally's eyes. She wanted to stop them but she couldn't; it just kept coming even when they already reached the pond by the mall, which Ally had no intention of going to but that's just where her feet brought her.

Trish quietly followed her best friend, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder once she was sat down on the bench by the mall pond- she'd never seen Ally this upset.

After a few more minutes of silence the Latina spoke up.

"A-Ally," she cautiously started, not wanting to upset her even more "I'm sorry for whatever Austin said. He had no right to say all those things to you."

"No, it's okay, Trish." she shook her head, wiping away the tears on cheeks. "You don't need to apologize from anything, especially not for him. He doesn't even matter, anyway."

"Are you sure?"

"Y-yeah, I don't even care about him... let's just forget what he said." despite what she said, tears still rolled down her cheeks.

Trish really felt sorry for her, she'd never seen her like that before- she looked so tired and broken- not when when she found out that her parents were getting divorced or when she found out that her mom is moving to Africa was she ever like this, and that was only a month ago. The Latina couldn't help but blame Austin for it because even though she was a big fan of his, Ally was more important to her than him and because he really was the cause of all of it.

She shook her head "You know what you're right. Let's just forget about him- he's just another worthless pop star wanna-be! I know someone who's much more talented than him." Trish sat down next to her on the bench "She's very talented. She can sing, play many instruments but her favorite is the piano and she can play it really well; like she's so great at it, she can play the piano in her sleep. But not only that, she's also very smart and kind and...sort of funny- she has a very easy going sense of humor. And she has a big heart and she loves her family so much that she's willing to put up with the complaints of a egocentric jerk just to help them."

Ally looked at her with a weak smile "Thanks, Trish." she sniffled "Honestly, I don't even know why I was so offended by him, it's not like his opinions even matter to me."

A brief yet very comfortable silence fell upon them before Trish broke it.

"I'm sorry, too, Ally." she said.

"What for? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Yeah, well..." the Latina shifted uncomfortably in her seat "I'm still sorry I doubted you about this whole 'babysitting' Austin situation. It's just that you've been acting really weird and I knew that you were hiding something, so I was a little bit upset that you haven't told me anything even though I'm your best friend..."

"It's okay, Trish." she smiled at her. It was rare to see Trish like this- all sincere and apologetic "Although, I would like to know how you found out about it."

A wide grin spread across the Latina's face at Ally's inquiring. "Funny story, actually. Did you know that Dez has a gingerbread family? Well, _had_ a gingerbread family."

Ally chuckled "What did you do this time?" she arched an eyebrow at her.

Trish's smile only grew wider as she laughed "Well, I've noticed that you seem to talk to Dez quite a lot- and let's face it, that's a little odd- and I saw you two this dismissal talking, so I figured he must know something," she said "So, I cornered him at Mini's after school where he was making the roof of his gingerbread house for his gingerbread family, and let's just say that I worked up a little 'Trish magic'."

Ally gasped "No way, you did that?!" her eyes widened like saucers

Trish proudly nodded "Yup, I did. I-"

"Helped him finish his gingerbread house!"

"Ate his gingerbread family."

They both stared at each other in confusion. It looked like they weren't thinking of the same thing.

They both laughed.

"No, Ally, why would I help him?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, still chuckling a little "I just thought 'Trish magic' meant helping people out..."

"No, that would be a 'Trish miracle', 'Trish magic' means that I would interrogate someone until they give the answers that I want." Trish smirked "But anyway, after eating off little Benjamin's arm and leg, he finally told me that you're 'babysitting' Austin and then I asked him to take me to Austin's house since, you know, I forgot where it was when my mom told me," the Brunette chuckled as she remembered their conversation the other day "But he didn't want to so, I also ate his gingerbread house. After that, he agreed to take me to Austin's house." the Latina finished with a smug grin on her face.

She laughed at her best friend's story- the Latina really was a tough cookie.

'_Looks like Dez's 'project' was making his gingerbread roof._' Ally thought.

"Why do you always use violence against Dez?" she said, chuckling as she imagined Dez's horrified expression as Trish ate his gingerbread masterpiece.

She raised her hands up in surrender "Hey, it's not my fault he wanted it the 'Trish way'." she shook her head "I did ask him nicely at first."

Ally arched a brow at her "Really? And does 'nicely' mean pinning his face down at a Mini's table."

The Latina chuckled "You just know me so well, don't you?" she nodded.

The Brunette shook her head at her best friend's antics, momentarily forgetting about her worries.

But then Trish's bemused expression faltered "But kidding aside," she said "Are you sure you're really okay?"

Ally's smile fell "Y-yeah... I told you Austin's opinion doesn't matter to me." she tried her best to sound as convincing as possible but she herself didn't believe it.

"Come on, Ally, don't you at least want to get even with him?"

She shook her head "No, I don't." she said flatly "Like I said I don't care about what he said."

Trish frowned "Really? Not even after that cheap that he told you?

"Nope." despite this, her cheeks faintly blushed as she remembered Austin's cheeky comment about her but luckily, Trish didn't notice it.

"Uh, really? 'Cause I already have the perfect revenge plan against him. It's called 'Career Destroyer'!" she grinned, her Black pit eyes glinting with mischief "And all you have to do is disguise as a really annoying, overly attached fangirl and we'll just secretly record it with Dez's camera and then when he finally get irritated, he'll lash out on you and-"

"I'm not going to do that, Trish." she stopped her rambling. She knew what Trish was talking about. Which basically meant that they'll film Austin lashing out on a fan and then they'll post it on the internet and he'll probably get a lot of hate over it and his career would be over. "That's not fair."

"But, come on, just think of it. It would be a really great plan-"

"No. Trish we're not gonna destroy his career just because he told me some cheap-shot, that's a little too harsh."

"Okay," Trish finally gave up "But if he gives you another cheap-shot then we'll definitely destroy his career?"

"That won't happen." Ally said.

"Better not 'cause I'd actually really hate destroying his career. He's a really good singer, he has really catchy songs." Trish said matter of factly "Plus, I still would really want to be his manager."

"Trish" Ally stared incredulously at her best friend, chuckling at how quick the Latina's opinion about Austin has changed in a matter of seconds.

First she wanted to destroy his career and not a minute sooner, she wanted to be his manager.

"What?" the Latina raised her hands up in surrender "Hey, the Cheetah Beat article said that Starr records is managing him but they're looking for someone else to personally manage him."

"Trish." she repeated but this time with less conviction and more of amusement.

"Hey, I know talent when I see one. Just like how I know you'd be even better than him once we finally get you over that stage fright of yours."

"Thanks."

"Yeah, but for now, just let me be his manager. Do you think you could talk to him about it?" her best friend looked at her, hopeful that she'll help her.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen. So, let's go." Ally rolled her eyes, standing up from the bench and heading out of the mall pond.

Trish pouted but still followed her out of the place. They headed back to Ally's house. As they head there, Trish spoke up again, breaking the very much comfortable silence that they had.

"So, what are you gonna do about the Austin issue now?"

Ally shrugged "I don't know- and it's not an issue- but I guess I'll just have to forget everything, continue on like nothing ever happened."

"So, are you still going to continue 'babysitting' him or not?" Trish concluded, still a little confused at her words. "Aren't you gonna tell your parents about it?"

"Nope, I won't tell them. And I still can't not 'babysit' him, I still need the money to help my parents."she shook her head "I'll still do what I am asked to do and as far as I'm concerned my only job is to accompany him, so I'll just be formal around him. You know, be professional and just do my job- as professional as a babysitting job could get at least." she explained as if it cleared it all up.

But Trish still didn't get what she meant, so she gestured for Ally to elaborate it further.

Ally sighed Okay, what I meant is that I'll just do what I'm told. I'll only do what his parents told me to so- which is to accompany him, nothing more, nothing less. I wasn't exactly asked to be friends with him. So, I'll just be there, aiding him with whatever he needs but that's just it. I won't engage in a "friendly conversation" with him or something like that. Just keep things formal."

"Okay..." Trish nodded "So, is that a 'no' on helping me become his manager?" she joked. Well, half joked- she still wanted to become Austin's manager.

Ally just chuckled at her in reply.

Then the two went inside Ally's house to have their girl talk for the rest of the day. Occasionally, Trish would slip up a request of help to get her the job as Austin's manager. It's obvious what Ally answered her every time she asked.

* * *

"Oh god, Austin Monica Moon what have you done?!" the Blonde told himself as he paced around the living room for the umpteenth time- yeah, it was that bad that he himself mentioned his full name.

He had pacing the whole room since Dez left after telling him the crisis Ally is facing at the moment. He's been trying to come up with a solution to make it up to her for his rude and tactless attitude towards her, but none of his ideas were good enough.

'_She needs to be treated with the whole Austin Moon treatment._' he kept reminding himself.

"Ah, why is it so hard!" he groaned as he pulled at the ends of his messy Blonde hair.

He didn't even know why he cared so much but he just did- he knew he shouldn't care so much about her(why would he? They barely even know one another), but he can't stop himself from caring every time he remembered how helpless and broken Ally looked when she was having a breakdown.

It almost broke his heart knowing that, somehow, he had caused her to breakdown like that.

"Come on, Austin think of something!" he urged himself to come up with an idea but was unsuccessful.

Then his concentration was interrupted when he heard a car pull up to their driveway- he knew it was either his mom or dad. Or both. The car engine died and the front door of their house opened, letting in the faint sound of heels clicking against the marble floor- it was his mom.

"Austin? Ally? Where are you two?"

"I'm in the living room, mom." he called as he buried his face into a pillow and sunk down even lower into the couch.

"Austin, dear, where's Ally?" Mimi asked as she entered the living room, seeing her son slumped down on the couch.

"She already left..."

"Really? Why? I was planning on inviting her to have dinner with us tonight. Did you do something to make her leave?" she arched an eyebrow at him.

Austin contemplated about his mom's question- should he tell her about what he did? That he upset Ally that's why she left early(and would probably be the same reason why she won't chose to "babysit" him anymore come Monday afternoon?).

Nope. He couldn't tell her that; the last thing he needed right now was a lecture from his mother.

"I didn't do anything, mom. I just knew she had to do her homework so I let her go early." he lied.

"Really now? Then why are you moping on the sofa like you just lost your record deal?"

"I'm not moping, mom." he replied, finally sitting upright. "I just- did you know that Ally's parents are getting divorced?" he suddenly blurted out.

For a brief moment, she was shocked by her son's sudden outburst but then she nodded "Yes, I do. Penny told me about it. Why?"

"Really? I, uh... I just- nothing... it's nothing. I just didn't know, that's all..."

Mimi gave him a confused look but didn't push on with the subject. She shook her head and then went to the kitchen preparing for their dinner.

Austin slouched on the couch again, still trying to think of more ways to apologize to Ally. One thing he's sure of is that he can't ask for his mother's advice. She would definitely scold Austin for upsetting Ally on her first week of "accompanying" him and she would ground him, that meant he can't have pancakes for a week- he did not want that.

But maybe his dad could help him- he always does help Austin with his "girl problems", if apologizing to your "babysitter" counted as "girl problems", after all Mike did help him with the 'Kira-Cassidy' issue before(it's a long story). So, he decided he will ask for his father's opinion.

"Hey, mom, where's dad?" he asked as he entered the kitchen.

"Austin, you startled me!" Mimi squeaked "Your dad? He's still in the king- er the factory, just finishing up some things. He'll be back by dinner. Why?"

"Oh, uh... I, uh wanted to ask him something, that's all..."

"Why don't you ask me?"

"It's- it's boy issues."

Mimi smiled, at least they were having a father and son bonding. "Well, okay then."

He nodded in response and went back to the living room, impatiently waiting for his dad. The sooner he tells his dad, the sooner Mike can give him advice and then he'd be able to make it up to Ally.

About fifteen minutes later, he heard another car pull up in their driveway- he was positive it was his father, and he was right.

"Mimi? Austin?" Mike called upon entering their house.

"I'm in the kitchen, Mike-"

"Dad!" Austin yelled, drowning down his mother's words. He shot up from his seat and ran out to the hallway to meet his dad.

Mike jumped back in surprise as his son appeared in front of him "Austin! W-what? You surprised me, son."

He laughed "Sorry, dad." he scratched the back of his neck "I, uh... I just wanted to ask you something."

Mike's expression grew serious. "Oh, really?" he said "Okay, what is it? Ask away, son."

Austin shifted in discomfort. The last time he had a serious talk with his dad was with the 'Kira-Cassidy' issue and that was roughly two years ago(not if you count 'The Talk' that they had a week ago, of course).

"Well, uh... before I tell you what- who it's all about," he started "Can you not tell mom about it? I don't think she'd be very happy if she found out..."

His dad was silent for a few seconds. He seemed to be debating with himself. "Hmm... I can't be sure about that." he said "You know that we can never keep anything from your mother."

He grimaced. His father was right, they can never keep anything from her- Mimi always had a way of things to know what it was the father and son was hiding.

"Yeah, I know..." he replied "But can we not tell anytime soon, at least not until I've solved my problem? I know I will have to tell her eventually, but I don't want to tell her anytime soon."

"Okay," Mike nodded "So, what or who is this all about?"

"Well..." he said, his voice an octave higher than his usual voice "How can I put it in a nice way... I, uh... I kinda, maybe- slightly- have offended Ally earlier today..."

"Oh, so it's about Ally. Okay, what did you do?"

"Okay, well we were having a normal day this afternoon" he explained "And, uh we were watching Zaliens 7 which she didn't really like. So, then I asked her about what movies she did like and we went on conversing with each other, you know we were actually getting to know each other..."

"Oh, really?"

"Y-yeah..." he faintly blushed as he remembered how angelic Ally's laugh was when they were getting to know each other, but he willed the blush to go away.

"Okay, so if things are going good between you and Ally, how did you end up offending her?"

"Well, here's the thing: apparently, Ally didn't tell her best friend, Trish, about her doing this whole 'babysitting' me stuff but only because mom actually made her promise not to tell anyone, but I didn't know that,"

"And?"

"And I kinda got the wrong idea as to why she did not tell her best friend about it and I got a little offended, so I... kinda said some mean things to her..." he finished with a deep sigh.

"Oh, so why did you get offended?" Mike arched an eyebrow.

"Well, I kinda misinterpreted what she said about keeping the 'babysitting stuff a secret 'cause I thought that she didn't want to do the job" he continued "And that kinda stung my ego but now, I realized that she was actually just doing what mom- and Jimmy- wanted. And that was to protect my image. I feel really about all the mean things I told her." he added in a pained grimace "And to top it all off, Dez told me that her parents are getting divorced and that her mom is going to Africa. So now, I feel twice as bad. Did you know about that stuff, dad?!" he huffed in frustration throwing his hands up in the air.

"Okay, whoa calm down, Austin." his dad said "You don't want your mother to hear this, do you?"

Austin's eyes went wide like saucers. He shook his head vigorously.

Mike nodded "Of course you don't- she'll probably take away your pancakes for a whole week..."

"Yeah, I know. That's kinda why I wanted it to be kept a secret from her and only told you..."

"Okay, so, what's the question now?"

"Oh, yeah, uh... I feel really bad about insulting Ally and I want to ask you what's the best way to apologize to her- I really want to make it up to her. So, you know, like what would you do if you were in my situation?"

"Okay, well..." he paused to think "The best thing that you could really do is straight up apologize to her. Tell her you're very sorry and that you didn't really mean any of the things you told her."

"Okay," he nodded. He thought of that early on and he thought it was a stupid idea- really wanted his apology to be special- but now that his father had told him that it was probably the best way to apologize to Ally, it wasn't so stupid of an idea after all.

"But what if that doesn't work?" he questioned, still a little pessimistic about it. For a famous singer who was very smooth with girls, Austin was really having a difficult time in dealing with Ally.

"Then try to do good stuff to her, help her- even if it was the little things, that still counts as a good deed," Mike told him "And eventually, she'll forget all those bad things that you said or she'll forgive you because she realized that you are actually not a mean person." Austin's face lit up with happiness "Oh, and also you should give her like a peace offering, to show how much you genuinely feel sorry about everything."

"Okay, yeah!" Austin smiled "Thanks, dad! You really know how to give some good advice."

"No problem, son-"

"Mike? Austin? Are you two done with your boy talk?" Mimi's voice interrupted them from the kitchen "Dinner is ready."

"Yes, honey, we'll be there in a second." Mike answered "Okay, now about your mother," he turned to Austin again "You do know that you have to tell her about this whole problem, right?"

He nodded "Yeah, but I just want to solve it before I tell her. So, I'll be off the hook before she gets angry at me."

Mike smiled at him and patted his back "Okay, but you have to do it fast. But for now, let's have dinner with you mom before she gats anymore suspicious about what we are talking about."

He nodded again and the father and son entered their dining room.

At the dinning room, Mimi Moon had just finished placing three plates at the table and was now settling down on her seat- at the left side of the table.

"Done with your boy talk?" she asked them.

"Yup." they both answered flatly as they took a seat at their respective places(Mike at the head of the table and Austin at his right).

"Okay," she nodded "Let's eat then."

The Moons quietly ate their dinner for a few minutes but Mimi was constantly glancing from her husband and to her son.

"Is there any chance that you are going to tell me what you talked about?" she finally asked.

Mike tensed for a quick moment before shaking his head while Austin just froze in position- mid eating his lamb stew. His eyes grew side and he glanced at his father with pleading eyes.

Mike caught sight of this and smiled reassuringly "I don't think Austin wants to tell you just yet... but he will tell you eventually, right son?"

"Oh, uh... y-yeah... j-just not now..." he nodded, avoiding his mother's gaze.

"Okay then..." she smiled. Austin could tell that although his mom had not push on with the topic, she is still not finished with it yet but he didn't say anything else. In case it would back fire and get him into more trouble that would probably double his punishment.

They were silent again for the rest of dinner. Well, he was, his parents were talking about the situation of their business and all that stuff that he had absolutely no care of.

After he finished eating, he stood up and turned to his mom. "Can I go now? I have to do something." he said.

His mom eyed him for a few seconds before nodding "Okay," she replied "Just take your plate to the sink and you're good to go."

He nodded and got his plate from the table and headed to the kitchen, where he immediately disposed of the plate to the sink.

Then he went out of the kitchen, facing his parents in the dining room "Thanks for dinner, mom." he said before dashing upstairs to his room.

Once in his room, Austin quickly took a shower then changed into his favorite truck boxers and v-neck shirt. He started working on things he could do for Ally- all the little things that he could help he with.

He kept in mind everything his dad told him- he has to do it willingly and genuinely. As well as his apology speech.

"Okay, so I don't need to go all sappy and dramatic- it has to be sincere and genuine." he told himself.

He spent hours that night staring at the pen and paper on his table then writing something down, just to erase it again because it was either too dramatic or too tactless. He wrote down countless of apology speeches, only to be crumpled out and hastily discarded in the trash bin next to his desk.

Finally, when he wrote one that was decent enough in his opinion, he re-read it numerous times, checking if he spelled a word wrong or he didn't use proper grammar. He found none and it was perfect. He set the piece of paper gently on his desk, smoothing out the wrinkled edges.

It was perfect- not too sappy and dramatic yet not too blunt or tactless as well. It got the message he really wanted to tell Ally, it was sincere genuine and as heart felt as it can get.

Now, all he had to fo is memorize it because he wouldn't want to read the untidy paper in front of her(plus, she'd probably think that his apology was not sincere because he read it from a piece of raggedy paper).

So, that was what he will do for the rest of the weekend: memorize it by heart and- hopefully- tell it to her with his whole heart as well.

It was weird really, how worked up he got with this whole situation. Usually, when he's involved in a problem like this- well, not really exactly like his situation with the babysitter and all that, but when his problem involved a girl- he'd be very cool about it, like he wouldn't really let it bother him that much. And he'd be spontaneous in talking to her(he'd never make up a speech to her or anything of that sort), he had no nerves or anxiety about it; he just goes with the flow, but with Ally, he felt like he should really think before he utters a word.

There was just something about the Brunette.

* * *

**A/N: Hehe, I told you guys something interesting would happen. Okay that's it for now. I'd really appreciate it if you could like leave a review or feedback, telling me what you thought of this chapter and what do you guys think would happen in the next one and you know we'll get the conversation going. Okay, thanks! :D**

**This one is extra long now isn't it? I hope you don't mind, I actually enjoyed writing this chapter, you know, there's so many Auslly feels that was going on in one chapter- like gawd, at first they were like awkward and stuff but then they were playful and friendly(and a little flirty as well) and then the next thing they were like mad and irritated by one another and it's just a roller coaster feels ride! Hahaha! =)**

**Check out my other Auslly stories- I've got loads of them, mostly one shots since this is the only multi-chapter one that I'm working on currently**

**That's it for now, I guess. Update will be soon, maybe a week or two from now, I'm just polishing up the fifth chapter. And polishing the sixth chapter as well. If you have any question, you know you can always ask me, I don't bite.**

**Up Next: Austin has to do something about this whole situation, right?**

**~Lou**


	5. Cold Shoulder

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin&amp;Ally, all rights go to the Creators.**

**Enjoy!**

**What will Austin do make it up to Ally? Will it work?**

* * *

_~ Work sucks, I know ~_

_/ Blink-182 'All The Small Things' /_

* * *

Chapter 5: Cold Shoulder.

Ally spent the rest of her weekend literally doing nothing. She didn't even touch the piano(and that was saying something). She just mindlessly stared into space, zoning out and just thinking of everything Austin said to her the last she saw him.

Every time she remembered that stupid boyish smirk of his, she just wanted to throw a hissy-fit.

She tried many things just to get rid of him in her mind but nothing worked.

She tried busying herself by working Sonic Boom but even then she'd be reminded of him every now and then because a costumer would either ask her if they sell his album there(which they did) or a bunch of girls would gush over him outside their shop, squealing obnoxiously because a song of his just came on the radio.

She tried taking her mind off things by studying her lessons(she loved Trigonometry but solving for the Hypotenuse wouldn't help her solve her problems), but then she'd be reminded of him saying that even though he didn't really like studying that much, he did miss going to school. Then she'd remember his laugh when she told that every subject was her favorite subject and her stomach would suddenly fell queasy and her fingertips tingled.

By Sunday evening, Ally had given up on trying to get Austin Moon out of her mind. She would just let the thoughts flow in her mind(whether it be good or bad) and just listen to music in her iPod.

She was starting to doze off in her desk when a song- his song- played in her iPod.

"_**What up!**_**  
**

_**Summer in the sand,**_

_**He's a drummer in a band**_"

He sang through her earphones.

"_**Dropping the beat,**_**  
**

_**She's a DJ at the boardwalk.**_"

'_Why in the world do I have his song on my iPod?!_' she bitterly thought.

Then she remembered that Dez had put most of his songs in her iPod about a few months ago- just at the start of the summer.

"But I deleted them all..." she said to herself, frowning at the device in her hand as he kept on singing. It was true, she deleted them all after she was forced by Trish and Dez to listen to all his songs for a whole day.

"**Smile and a tan****  
**

**And her sandals in her hand**

**Rocking the shades**

**You could almost see their eyes lock.**"

She unlocked her phone and stared at is as his song kept on playing, wondering why she did not delete this one.

"_**What could be better **_

_**Than a party in the weather**_

_**With the both of us together**_

_**In the back drop?**_

_**Everything was right**_

_**And the day turned into night**_

_**With the music and the lights**_

_**That's when we stop.**_"

'_Probably just forgot to delete this one..._' she told herself as she debated on deleting the song right then and there.

But then the chorus of the song came and she remembered- she remembered why she didn't delete it. And that was because she actually liked the song.

"_**Oh,  
**_

_**Heard it on the radio(Sing it out loud),**_

_**Oh,**_

_**Coming out to see your show.**_"

He sang and she could just imagine him rocking out while performing that song.

"_**Oh, oh, oh(Everybody now)**_

_**Heard it on the radio**_

_**Oh, oh, oh(Everybody now)**_

_**Coming out to see your show**_

_**Play it back, play it back**_

_**One time, yeah**_

_**Heard it on the radio.**_"

He kept on singing the rest of the song and Ally found herself bobbing her head along and even singing along in the chorus of the song. She had to admit, it was a catchy song.

At the end of the day, she was listening to Austin's '_Heard It On The Radio_' song on repeat the whole night.

She found the song quite calming, something about it just pulled at the strings of her heart and made the wheels in her mind turn- like it triggered something inside her. She just found the song so relatable.

And for the rest of the night she completely forgot that the next day she would go back to "Babysitting" Austin again.

She sighed deeply "Just be professional, Ally." she told herself as she laid down on her bed "You're doing this for mom and dad."

Then she started to drift off to sleep, with his song still playing in her iPod.

* * *

_She walked on the sidewalk hand in hand with her dad, they were heading to the new ice cream parlor by the Miami Mall (almost near the beach actually), '_Scoop, there it is_'. It was the perfect way to start the hot summer's day in Miami, and what better way to spend it than eating ice cream with you parents- or in her case with a parent. Even as a child, her parents rarely come with her to the mall together- it was always just her and her father or her and her mother._

_As she and her dad entered the small ice cream shop, her eyes spot the boy, about the same as her, clunging to both his parents' hands. She couldn't see the color of his hair(a Grey beanie covered the top of his head) or his face but she could just barely make out the Blonde tips that stuck out on the back of his neck, peeking out of his beanie._

_"I want two scoops of Cookie Dough ice cream, mom." she heard him say to his parents as she and her dad queue up behind them._

_"Are you sure, little prince?" the boy's mom asked, concerned at the amount of ice cream her son wanted to eat. _

_The boy nodded enthusiastically. _

_The boy's father crouched down to look at his son "That's a lot of ice cream, buddy, you sure you can finish all two scoops of Cookie Dough ice cream?"  
_

_The boy nodded again "Uh-huh, I'm sure I can. Cookie Dough ice cream is my favorite!"_

_"Okay then, two scoops of Cookie Dough ice cream," his dad stood up straight to face the man on the counter "What about you, honey? You want some ice cream?" he turned to his wife.  
_

_The woman just shook her head. _

_"Two scoops of Cookie Dough ice cream it is!" the man behind the counter said "Please wait a few minutes for you ice cream." _

_The family of three nodded and the moved aside from the counter to sit at the booth by the corner and wait for the son's double scoop of Cookie Dough ice cream. She thought that it was a lot of ice cream for a boy at that age- it was not healthy, even if the ice cream was definitely delicious. _

_Now, it was her's and her father's turn to order. _

_"Welcome to '_Scoop, there it is_', can I take your order?"_

_"Ally, what do you want?" her dad asked. _

_"Hmm..." she thought for a moment, debating with herself what flavor of ice cream should she get(back then, picking an ice cream flavor has got to be one of the most difficult thing she ever did). Should it be her favorite flavor Fruity Mint Swirl or something else, like the Cookie Dough ice cream the boy had- she never had tasted that flavor before. _

_She glanced at the boy at the corner, he was eagerly waiting waiting for his ice cream._

_He caught her eye and for a few second their eyes locked- Chocolate Brown against Hazel Brown._

_He smiled at her, a wide toothy smile. She blushed and broke their eye contact; butterflies suddenly fluttering in her stomach(how a nine year old could feel something like that was still a mystery to her).  
_

_"Ally, what do you want?" Lester asked again._

_"Oh, uh... I'll just have Fruity Mint Swirl." she mumbled, her cheeks still a little red._

_"Okay, two single scoops of Fruity Mint Swirls, please." her dad told the man.  
_

_The man nodded and just like what he told the family of three, they had to wait for their order to be done in a few minutes; poor man working on the shop all on his own, probably because the shop only just opened and so the owner could only afford one employee. _

_Ally and her dad sat on the booth near the door, just two booths away from the boy and his parents._

_She wanted to catch the boy's gaze again, hoping to receive another toothy grin from him, but he never did. It was like he purposely did avoid her eyes. _

_"One double scoop of Cookie Dough ice cream." the man announced, holding up the cone with two massive scoops of Cookie Dough ice cream(again, she could not believe how he could eat all those)._

_He got his ice cream and they exited the shop, with him never glancing back at her. And she had to admit that she was disappointed that she never got to see those mesmerizing Hazel Brown eyes again nor the wide toothy grin. _

_A few minutes later, her Fruity Mint Swirl ice cream came and she and her father left the parlor as well. As they went our of the shop though, something caught her eye. There, hastily hung on the store's ice cream standee, was a Grey beanie. She recognized it as the same Grey beanie the boy wore. Why it was there, she did not know. _

_She tugged at her father's hand. "Hey, dad look." she pointed at the object "That boy left his beanie. We should give it back to him." she suggested, partly because she was a good kid and knew that they really should return the object to the owner and partly because she wanted to see that boy again- maybe even know his name(and be friends with him)._

_Her father plucked the beanie from the standee and handed it to her "You're right, honey. Come on, let's look for that boy and his parents." he said._

_She kept on wondering what was the boy's name and why he didn't look back at her again as then they trudged around the Miami Mall in search for the boy and his parents. But to no avail- there were too many people around them that day, like everyone in Florida just decided to go the city of Miami all at the same day and time. Well, the truth is, almost the whole of Florida really did go to Miami that day. And that was because the up and coming international band called "_The Band_" were visiting Miami and doing a free concert on the beach. _

"**Cause I try and try to forget you, girl**

**But it's just so hard to do**

**Every time you do that thing you do.**"

_The song suddenly came through the Miami beach radio station that was broadcasting all throughout the whole of Miami. _

"**I don't ask a lot, girl**

**But I know one thing's for sure**

**It's the love I haven't got, girl**

**And I just can't take it anymore**" **[1]**

_Ally and her dad weaved through the hoard of people in the mall, heading out to the dock. They were bobbing their heads to the wonderful beat of the song. _

_And the song continued on as they searched for the boy and his parents, with her clutching the beanie on one hand and her ice cream on the other._

_"And that was _The Band's _first single_ _'_That Thing You Do_'__ from their debut album "_It Was Always You_"." the radio announcer said through the radio speaker "Don't forget, _The Band _will be playing a free concert today at the Miami beach at 3 o'clock, so if you want to catch your new favorite band then you better get here now 'cause Mack, my friend, there sure are a lot of people here already." __  
_

_"Right you are, Jett!" another person said "This band just keeps on getting bigger and bigger. And we are lucky enough to have them here with us, today. So, stay tuned to here on 94.2 beach radio, the number one radio station in Miami for their interview."_

_"Oh, Ally, we should go there!" Lester told her, beaming "Maybe the boy could be there."_

_"Is that really the reason why you want to go to the beach? Or is it because of the free concert of your favorite band?" Ally replied and he only chuckled. She knew it- of course it was because of the latter one. She knew her father too well. And sometimes it's not really a good thing. (Though she had to admit, a free concert from their favorite band did sound tempting).  
_

_"It's _our_ favorite band, so let's go." he finally finished his ice cream and threw its remains on the trash bin by the boardwalk._

_"But what about the boy's beanie?"_

"_If we don't find the boy there then we can just give it to the mall lost and found station. Are you good with that?"_

_She thought for a moment, it was the best thing to do but she knew that if they give the beanie to the lost and found station then the boy would never find that beanie again and that she would never see him- know his name- ever again, too. But she agreed to it nonetheless(it was her only option), and hoped that she would find the boy._

_The father and daughter made their way through the crowds and were able to get to the part of the beach near where the free concert was going to be held. _

_She looked around the place for a boy, but it was very hard to find him seeing as their were a lot of people there. She didn't even know if the boy was still there at the beach or the Miami Mall, still she continued to look for him.  
_

_"Alright, Mack we're live now with _The Band_, and I heard these guys actually formed right here in Miami- one summer together in the beautiful beach of Miami, an old acoustic guitar, an empty trash bin for drums and a bunch of bottles and then _boom_! We've got ourselves the hottest and most awesome band of this generation, so let us give them a warm Miami welcome to Gus Grant, Ralphie Hayes, Walter Anderson, and Charlie Dunphy__!" the young Jett Deely said to his co-host Miami Mack "Give it up for these, guys!"_

_There was a big round of applause that was heard. "Yeah, so, you guys, we've heard that you're going to announce something big today." Mack continued "I wonder what that is. Do the people of Miami want to hear what it is?"_

_"Yes!" the whole crowd cheered, even Ally and her father did._

_"Okay, guys what is this all about?" Jett asked again, looking from each member of the band. "Gus, what's the big announcement?" he asked the lead singer of the group. _

_But Gus shook his head "First of all, we- Ralphie, Walter, Charlie and I- are really thankful for all of you who came here-"_

_"and also those listening on the radio as well." Ralphie added, "You guys are awesome!" the crowd jeered in approval with the bassist. _

_They laughed "Yeah, of course to those listening in their radios as well, thank you guys." Gus agreed, nodding "And for those of you here, too. Thank you so much and we hope you will enjoy tonight's show. We didn't think that there'd be so many of you coming, so thank you very much. But uh, it's Charlie's announcement, actually. He'll answer it for you guys." he gave the mic to the drummer, who gladly took it. _

_There was a big round of applause for the drummer. "Okay, hey what's up everybody?" he screamed in excitement and got a scream back from the crowd.  
_

_"Dad, can I ride on your back, I can't see anything." Ally tugged on Lester's arm. "I want to see them." _

_"Okay, honey. Come here." then he picked up Ally and sat her on his shoulders so she could see better from the swarm of people. _

_"Hi, Charlie!" she waved at him. He saw her and waved back. _

_"Hi, there!" he said "You see, this is the kind of thing that I love about Miami. People here just love music so much, I mean even little kids appreciate our songs." _

_"Haha, yup." Jett nodded "You know your music is good when kids like it. You know what they say, there are only two people that can tell you the truth: the drunk ones and the little kids."_

_"I like that saying, Jett. Very well put." Mack chuckled "So, Charlie what's the big announcement?"  
_

_"Right, yeah. The announcement." the drummer nodded while his fellow band mates patted his back "Well, as I was saying, the boys and I, we really love Miami and we have so many good memories here and you know, I even lived here once upon a time before my family moved to Denver. And uh, Ralphie used to intern here before."  
_

_"Uh-huh, first internship job I've ever gotten and the last one as well." Ralphie answered. "And Walter met Brittany here as well, so yeah we really love Miami."_

_"And what, uh what about Gus?" Mack asked.  
_

_Gus chuckled "I actually went to high school here. I used to go to Marino High. Are there any Marino High students here? Any Mighty Manatees students here?" there were a lot cheers from teens at the crowd. "And I learned to play the guitar because of my high school teacher at Marino. Ms. Suzy if I remember correctly. Yeah, she taught me how to play the guitar and to sing decently." _

_"She's my music teacher, too!" Ally's voice sounded through the whole crowd, she was flailing her arms widely to catch the group's attention and she did._

_"You see," Charlie pointed at her again "Look at that little girl, she has the same music teacher as Gus."  
_

_"You've got an awesome teacher, kid! She's the best music teacher ever. And I like your beanie very much." Gus called to her. And it was probably one of the best moments of her life, her favorite band is actually talking to her!  
_

_"It's not mine." she answered but was drowned down when Charlie started talking again. _

_"And as I was saying, Miami has done some wonderful things to us- if it weren't for Miami we wouldn't even be here and _The Band_ would never have been a band. That little girl has the same teacher as Gus and look how this rascal turned out." he joked and the crowd laughed even Gus did. "She could very well be the singer of her generation and it's all because of Miami. And I'm calling it now that one day someone big will dominate the music world and that person will be from Miami. So in return, for all the good things that Miami has done to me- to us, the whole band- we would like to make more memories here. And I'm starting it now," Charlie got up from his seat "As you all may know, I'm not only here with my band but my girlfriend, Sydney, who also grew up here in Miami, is also here with us. She's right here, can I get a spotlight for my beautiful girlfriend?" he walked up to the edge of the platform to stand beside his Blonde haired, Blue eyed girlfriend.  
_

_Charlie's girlfriend giggled and rolled her eyes playfully at the drummer as a spotlight was directly at the two of them "And just like most people here in Miami, my lovely girlfriend of five years is also very musically inclined- she's a DJ." that comment got a lot of cheers from the crowd. "Haha, yeah I know she's amazing. And don't know how I managed to get so lucky and have her-"  
_

_"We wonder the same thing, Dunphy." Walter joked and they all laughed again. _

_"Yeah, that's why I'm not planning to let go of her- I won't let her slip away from me. Not now not ever in my life." then he knelt down on one knee and pulled out a Red Velvet box. The whole place gasped in excitement. "So, Sydney McCyntire will you be my forever and always?"  
_

_The Blonde stood there, frozen in place, eyes brimming with tears before she nodded her head vigorously- the lack of speech overcoming her. Everyone in the crowd applauded and shouted, happy for the newly engaged couple.  
_

_Charlie stood up and slid the silver band on her finger. Then kissed her full in the mouth. _

_"Well, there you have it guys," Jett said through the mic "We just witnessed another happy memory for _The Band_. I'm sure a lot of you are very happy for Charlie and his soon to be Mrs. Dunphy. Gus, Walter, Ralphie what's your message for these two?"__  
_

_"Great job, Charlie!" Gus said "We knew you could pull this off! So, happy for you two."  
_

_"Wait, wait, you guys knew about this?" Mack asked. _

_"Yup." Walter nodded, a cheeky grin plastered on his face._

_"Of course, we do." Ralphie agreed "We're best friends and we're gonna be his groomsmen so of course we knew it."  
_

_The interview continued on and when _The Band_ started singing their songs and doing covers of other songs(they even sang their own version of '_Isn't She Lovely_' by Stevie Wonder), Lester put Ally down from his shoulder back to the ground. The little Brunette kept on squealing and squiggling when Charlie proposed to Sydney that it hurt his shoulders ._

_Ally jumped around like she was on high on sweets "Ah, dad, that was so sweet!" she squealed "I'm so glad that we went here!" _

_The older Dawson smiled at his daughter "You see, I told you it was good idea that we went here. But did you find the boy? You were pretty high up when you sat on my shoulder, did you even look for him?"_

_"Oh, yeah I forgot about that... hehe, sorry dad." she sheepishly laughed, pulling off the Grey beanie on her head. "I didn't- I didn't find him..."  
_

_"You didn't find him or didn't look for him?" Lester raised an eyebrow at her. _

_"Both?"_

_He chuckled "Well, okay then let's go and give that beanie to the lost and found station- maybe the boy is already there, looking for it."_

_"Okay." she reluctantly said. Then they walked back from the beach to the Mall to the lost and found station, but no one was there. The station itself was closed- and the boy wasn't there as well. So, they decided(well, Ally begged her father) to just kept the beanie. She was hoping that one day she'll find him and return the beanie to him, know his name and be friends with him._

_As Ally and her dad sat on the Miami dock jamming along with a new song of _The Band_ called '_Smile_', she pictured the boy's wide toothy grin and his Hazel Brown eyes boring into her._

"**You make smile like the sun,**

**Fall outta bed,**

**Sing like a bird,**

**Dizzy in my head,**

**Spin like a record,**

**Crazy on a Sunday night.**"

_It was a long shot but she was hoping she'd meet him again. _

"**You make me dance like a fool_,_**

**Forget how to breathe_,_**

**Shine like gold_,_**

**Buzz like a bee**

**Just the thought of you can drive me wild**

**Oh_, _you make me smile.**" **[2] **

_She smiled. '_One day I'll see that boy again_,' she thought to herself '_And I'll be able to return his beanie and know his name, too._'_

Her dream ended there but the boy's smile is still engraved in her mind- her promise to herself still not forgotten.

* * *

The next day, she woke up with a smile on her face, even though it was a little earlier than her usual wake up call. By the time her alarm went off, she had already finished taking a shower, changed her clothes and was already drying her hair.

She turned off the alarm clock and head downstairs as she finished combing her hair.

"Hi, dad!" she greeted her father as she approached him in their dining table.

"Ally"! he said, a little surprised "You're up early- breakfast is still not ready." he put down his newspaper on the table to look at his daughter "Honey, I know Monday is your favorite day of the week and you really love school but don't you think you should give yourself some time to relax? You should still be resting up to now."

"I'm fine, dad." Ally smiled at her dad's caring attitude "Really, I am. I'm very much relaxed and well rested. There's nothing you should worry about."

"Are you sure?"

"Yup!" she nodded before looking around the room. "Where's mom?"

"Oh, she's out." Lester shrugged "Went to the suburbs to say goodbye to some of her friends there..."

"Is that why breakfast is not ready yet?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow at her dad. He sheepishly nodded before they both laughed.

"Uh, hey dad..." she cautiously started after they stopped laughing "Since I'm already up early and school won't start for at least an hour and a half from now, I was wondering if I could open the shop today? I know you want me to relax and stuff but I'm actually relaxed when I'm at the store..."

"Ally..." Lester started, deeply sighing. He could tell that his daughter really wanted to go to Sonic Boom- she must've missed the place since she'd barely been in there the past week.

"Okay," he finally answered "But you can't be late for school so, I'll be there in forty-five minutes and your shift is over."

Ally wanted to protest that she should at least complete an hour of duty but she knew her dad was right- she can't be late for school. So, she just nodded and got the keys to the store.

"See you later, dad." she hollered as she left their house. Her bag already slung on her back as she headed to the Miami Mall, it was only a short walk from her house.

As she made her way across the mall, she heard someone call her name.

"Ally!" the person shouted across the still very empty mall; only a few store owners and employees were there, opening up their shops.

Ally whirled around to search for the person who said her name- it belonged to a familiar person. Then she spotter Ms. Suzy, her old music teacher, waving at her.

"Hi, Ms. Suzy!" she replied as she walked towards the older lady.

"How are you doing, Ally-gator?" Ally giggled at her old nickname. "I haven't been seeing you very often since last week. Shouldn't you be at school?"

"I'm doing good, Ms. Suzy. Yeah, I've been busy with a few things." she answered "But school doesn't start for at least one more hour, so I'm going to open the store today."

"Okay, then-" Ms. Suzy was cut short when Ally's stomach grumbled lightly "Oh, dear have you not eaten yet?"

She nodded sheepishly, her cheeks a little bit red from embarrassment.

"Oh, well come on then, I'll give you some chicken soup to eat. My treat."

"Oh, no Ms. Suzy it's okay, really." Ally insisted but her former music teacher had already gotten hold of her hand and dragged her inside her restaurant.

"Come on, now dear, my soup will fill your stomach and help your throat." the music teacher beamed at her "You still do sing, right?"

"Of course I do," she nodded as she got led to a stool by the counter bar. '_Just not in front of other people_' she bitterly added to herself.

"Good to know. You're a talented young lady, never let anyone tell you otherwise."

"Thanks, Ms. Suzy." then her former teacher placed a steaming bowl of chicken soup in front of her.

"You're welcome, Ally-cat! Anything for my best student."

Ally smiled in reply since she had a mouthful of delicious warm chicken soup in her mouth. Then she remembered her dream the night before- her memories of going down to the beach with her dad and meeting The Band, about Ms. Suzy being the music teacher of Gus, the lead singer of the The Band, and Charlie, the drummer, proposing to her girlfriend. And it was still one of her favorite memories on the beach(granted that she barely went their, despite living just a few minutes away from it- she really wasn't fond of the beach).

"Ms. Suzy?"

"Yes, Ally?"

"I just remembered something..." she started "You used to be a teacher at Marino High School, right? Before you taught at Marino Prep.?"

Ms. Suzy nodded "Yes. Why?"

"Well, I remember that one time when The Band went here in Miami and in an interview Gus, the lead singer, said that he used to go to Marino High School and that you were his music teacher and you taught him to sing and play the guitar... that's true isn't? And I just want to know what kind of student Gus was." she said as she swallowed another spoonful of soup.

"Gus? Oh, you mean Augustus Grant? Yes, I remember him, quite the charmer that boy." Ms. Suzy smiled "Very talented, kind of like that Austin Moon kid today. I'd say if Gus didn't become the lead singer of The Band then he'd be a solo act. Although, he was very troublesome- always makes a ruckus in class." she laughed. "But why the sudden interest, dear?"

"Oh, nothing." she shrugged "I just remembered that you used to be his music teacher and I thought it was just cool that he and I had the same music teacher since he's one of my favorite artists. And you know what, I just realized that he was right when he told me before that you're the best and most awesome music teacher ever."

"Aw, thank you Ally-gator." she bopped her nose.

Ally continued on to finish her soup as Ms. Suzy started arranging her restaurant and cleaning everything she thought wasn't clean enough.

"That was delicious as always, Ms. Suzy." Ally said, giving the older woman a sincere smile. She set down the spoon neatly beside the empty bowl."Thanks so much."

"No problem, dear. You know you can always count on me for delicious food and good music."

"Yeah, I know I can, but I really need to go now. Sorry I have to go already but I still have to open the shop before school starts."

"Oh, it's okay, Ally." Ms. Suzy, ushering her out of the restaurant "I'll see you soon. Say hi to your dad for me." she waved at the young Brunette, who exited her restaurant and was now walking towards Sonic Boom.

"Bye, Ms. Suzy. See you soon." Ally waved at her.

Then she headed back to Sonic Boom. As she approached the store's front doors, she searched for her keys in her bag. Once she found the keys, she unlocked the doors with it and entered the place.

She looked around the shop- not much has changed since the last time she was there(which was like two days ago). Some instruments were gone, probably in the hands or shelves of their new owners; the gone instruments were replaced with different new ones.

She flipped the close sign to open then settled herself behind the counter.

It was still early in the morning so there weren't any costumers coming to the store and she found herself recalling what her music teacher told her about Gus. How he could've been a solo act just like Austin. How she compared Gus to Austin, meaning that they were both as talented which meant that Austin really was a good singer, a great singer even, since Gus was a great singer.

Maybe she should try listening to his songs again, give it another shot. Ally knew she shouldn't do that because she was supposed to be mad at him and so she should not do anything associated to him but after Ms. Suzy compared him and Gus, she got really curious about his music. After all, she did listen to one of his songs all night long the previous night. And she had to admit it wasn't that really bad- it was really good actually.

She kept on pondering about that thought, considering to do it, until a man walked inside the store. He was about in his late 30's.

"Hello, welcome to Sonic Boom! How can I help you?" Ally greeted.

"Uh, I want to buy a guitar for my son. I want a guitar that's easy to handle, not to heavy- just the right weight- and not easily damaged." he said as he approached Ally at the counter.

"Oh, okay..." she replied, leading the man to a rack of guitars, each one different from another, at the far right corner of the store "Is your son a beginner? Or has he been playing for a long time?"

"Well, I bought him a guitar once when he was seven but he never really got a hang of it." the man explained "But now he actually wants to learn it again because of this teenager who became like an internet sensation because he can really sing and play the guitar and other instruments, do you know that guy? What's his name, Austin something... like Austin Moon or something like that..."

'_Oh, I know him alright._' she inwardly sneered '_Your son wouldn't really want Austin to be his role model once he knows how much of a conceited he is._'

But of course she didn't say that out loud. Instead, she just nodded and asked more about his son that she can figure out what kind of guitar is suited for his son.

"So, uh... how old is your son?"

"Oh, he's eleven now..."

"Well, in that case, a medium sized guitar would do for him." she gestured at the line of guitars that was all medium sized.

The man surveyed all the guitars, his eyebrows furrowing as he examined the shape and wight of a guitar. Then the man suddenly smiled and pointed at a guitar in the display case next to the rack.

"What about that one?" he pointed at a Red guitar with a black strap.

Ally followed the man's finger and saw that he was pointing at the Red guitar Mr. and Mrs. Moon had reserved for Austin.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir but that guitar has already been sold to one of out other costumers. It's reserved for them." she said "It's an electric guitar for advance guitarists too, not an acoustic one for beginners or intermediate guitar players and since your son is just eleven and just beginning to learn the guitar again, I suggest you just choose from those guitars."

"Oh," was all the man said. He nodded and turned back to the rack of guitars.

Ally had the gut feeling she slightly intimidated the older fellow. She had not meant to sound harsh or strict or serious about the guitar but she didn't want to sell the guitar to anybody else- besides it really was reserved specifically for Austin, right? So, why should she sell the guitar to somebody else?

Her thoughts wonder back to the Blonde pop star- how had his weekend went after their argument? She was sure he wasn't even bothered about it at all, like it wasn't really that much of a big deal. He was probably celebrating the fact that he had made her cry, thinking that she might want to quite the job now(which was what he wanted in the first place).

That thought formed a pit in her stomach- she really hoped he wasn't doing that. But in case he was, then she has all the right excuse to actually get even with him; if he wanted her to quit the job because he hated having a "babysitter", and to an extent hating her for being his "babysitter", then she'll just have to make him regret everything he ever said to her and if that meant that she has to keep the job for as long as she can then she'll do it.

"Uh, miss?" the man broke her trance. Apparently, she had been so preoccupied with the thought of Austin that she didn't realize the man had already picked a guitar for his son.

"What? Oh, right...uh-"

"Ally?" her dad entered Sonic Boom.

"Dad! I was, uh... I was just-"

"It's okay, Ally." he told her "I'll handle the costumer, you better head to school. Wouldn't want to be late now, would you?"

"Oh, right yeah." she nodded "T-thanks, dad!" she gave her dad a quick hug before heading out of the store. She faintly heard her father talk to the man as she walked through the mall to her school: Marino High School.

Her whole walk to Marino High school were all Austin Moon infested thoughts and how she really hoped that he was resentful, or at least a little guilty, about everything he said to her. Why it really bothered her about what he was doing, she really didn't know.

She only(temporarily) got rid of those thought when she entered school- she needed to focus on her studies not some stuck up Blonde pop star.

"Hey, Ally." her best friend, Trish, greeted her "So, how're you feeling today?"

"I'm okay..." she replied as she got the necessary nooks she needed for the day out of her locker.

"You sure? How do you feel about... you know..." she tailed away, not sure if mentioning anything associated to Austin was okay with Ally. After all, the Brunette had no not been at ease nor herself since the argument last Friday.

"I'm fire, Trish. I told you, I'll just be professional around Austin."

"Okay."

Then they made their way to their first class- which was English; one of Ally's favorite, but really every subject is her favorite subject.

* * *

Austin woke up early than usual that Monday morning, something that his surprised his parents.

"It's just 8 o'clock in the morning, Austin," Mike said "You're up early."

He shrugged "I figured I'd make myself useful and practice today." he explained in the most nonchalant way. "It's been two weeks since I played an instrument properly or sang- I need to stay sharp." he popped an invisible collar for some dramatic effect to convince his parents, and it did.

"That's great, son." his dad smiled at him, thinking that Austin finally solved his little problem concerning Ally.

"Well, come on then, let's have some breakfast- I cooked pancakes." Mimi told them.

His face lit up. "Awesome!"

Then they ate breakfast, with his parents talking about business stuff in their mattress factory; something, they would ask Austin about his opinion(since he is still the 'kingdom's prince', Mimi pointed out), but most of the time he just stayed quiet, savoring the sweet pancakes.

By nine o'clock, his parents were all set to go to work.

"You'll be okay on you own today? It's still early, maybe you should go back to sleep; Ally shouldn't be here until 3 or so."

He rolled his eyes "I'm gonna be fine, mom. I'm seventeen not seven- I'll just be upstairs in the attic practicing my songs. I've had enough sleep."

That was a lie, he barely got enough sleep that past two days because of a certain Brunette who kept on popping in his mind every now and then.

His parents didn't seem to notice that, though- they failed to see the growing bags under his eyes.

"We'll see you later then." Mike patted his shoulder "Just hang on until Ally arrives later, okay?" he gave his son a cheeky smirk.

"Y-yeah... I will..." the Blonde let out a nervous laugh, remembering that he actually told his father about his "little" situation with Ally.

"Bye, Austin."

"Yeah, bye."

Then he watched his parents' car pull out of the driveway before heading back upstairs. He was going to take a shower- a really long shower to take his mind off of things(or a person).

And when he was done(which was more or less an hour later), he changed to his clothes and went up to the attic.

He started playing the baby grand- Ally's favorite instrument.

"_**They wanna know, know, know**_

_** Your name, name, name.**_

_**They want the girl, girl, girl **_

_**With game, game, game **_

_**And when they look, look, look**_

_**Your way, way, way**_

_**You're gonna make, make, make them do a double take.**_"

He stopped after the chorus and shook his head.

"Get it together, Austin." he murmured to himself, leaning down on the piano keys which let out an unattractive noise.

Hours passed and he still hasn't got any progress; he was singing his songs but none really felt good- like he didn't feel the adrenaline or the rush of any of his songs. The essence of the song- the soul- was missing. He's not that into it that then he usually does.

Something at the back of his mind was bothering him. If only he could vent out his feelings someway.

Then it hit him! Duh, he could write about it! That's what other artists do when they feel a sudden surge of emotions, right? They let it all out through the art that they have passion about(whether it be music or movies or animation). Although, he's not that good in writing his feelings out(because "feeling feelings" is not enough to make a whole song), it was still worth a shot. It's not like he'll show it to anyone anytime soon.

This was just an outlet for him and him only.

So, with that thought in mind, Austin got a music sheet from the compartment of the piano bench and a pencil(that was somehow, if not conveniently, left in the compartment, too).

He started at it for a few minutes, waiting- hoping- for a melody to come to him or lyrics to pop on his head. And it did, after a few more minutes lyrics suddenly started flowing in his mind.

"_**It's me, it's you.**_

_**I know we're not the same**_

_**But we do what we do.**_

_**It's you and it's me**_

_**And who says that we have to agree,**_"

He wrote it all down on the music sheet.

'_It's actually not that bad..._' he thought, giving himself a mental pat on the back. Then he started playing random chords that he thought might sound good accompanying the lyrics and wrote it down as well.

"_**Cause I like what I like**_

_**And sometimes we collide.**_"

He wrote that one down as well.

The words just naturally flowed in him, like there was a force in him that made the lyrics come to him so easily. It was a good song, he could already feel it in his bones and he thought that his song writing had gotten a lot better since his last attempt(because even though he did write '_Heartbeat_' for Cassidy roughly two years ago, Kira, Jimmy's daughter, still helped him into writing down his feelings into words). So, whatever this force was that enabled him to write a decent song without anyone's help, he was grateful for it.

"_**But it's you a**__**nd it's me,**_

_**I know we're not the same**_

_**But we do what we do.**_"

He finally couldn't come up with lyrics and concluded that that was going to be the chorus of his unnamed song. Now all he has to do is think of a verse and he'll have another chart topping song coming- Jimmy will definitely be pleased.

But coming up with a verse proved to be more difficult that he had anticipated(much less coming with two verses and a bridge, too).

About an hour or two more hours passed and he finally gave up- at least just for the day; he was determined to finish the song. He settled for just playing the chorus of the song over and over again, trying to improve it until he got tired of hearing it himself(and that took a decent amount of time cause Austin really liked this song).

* * *

She was focused enough to listen to the teacher all day but it wasn't enough to get her mind Austin Moon free(seriously, that guy never left her mind since she woke up).

Occasionally, she'd be reminded of a little fact about him- about how he slept through most his classes in middle school when she saw someone slacking off at the back of the room or by the corner, or something of that sort. And then she'd zone out for a few minutes before shaking her head and focusing back to their lesson. That went on for the whole day. And by the time dismissal came, half of Ally's thoughts consisted of Austin Moon and the other half their lesson(it was a good thing that she already did an advance reading during summer, so she really wasn't missing anything in their lessons).

"Are you sure you're fine? You've been zoning out in our classes every fifteen minutes since this morning." Trish gave her a concerned look as they exited that school building.

"Of course, I am." she nodded, although she failed to sound really convincing, even she herself wouldn't believe what she just said.

"Don't you think you should just quit this job and get another one? Like if you're not comfortable with your job then don't do it- that's what I did in my previous..." the Latina paused to count in her fingers how many jobs has she already had "...41 jobs, more or less. It was probably more." she finally finished counting.

Although, she has considered quitting the job, she can't let her parents down just because Austin got to her nerves- that would just be selfish and if there's one thing that Ally isn't, that is being selfish- she would rather let herself endure the pain of Austin's company than see her parents suffer and go through a financial crisis.

She sighed "I know I can do that but I don't want to." she explained "Mom and dad are counting on me to do this job."

Trish shook her head "Sometimes you're too selfless, Ally but okay, if you say so..." she said "But if that no-good one-hit wonder insults you again, I'm quitting my job as his manager and you are gonna quit being his 'babysitter', okay?"

Ally stared at her in amusement "Trish, you're not his manager yet." she deadpanned.

"Yeah, well it's his loss. For not hiring me sooner than later because if he insults you again, he'll lose me as his manager- okay, potential manager," she corrected herself when Ally gave her a look "And he'll also lose you as his kind hearted and patient 'babysitter'. Wow, I never thought I'd ever have a conversation like this!"

"Thanks, Trish." Ally gave her best friend a grateful smile. Lately, the Latina has been so understanding and generous in cheering her up. Trish would always complement her and tell her things that her mom usually say to her- she guessed it was because Trish could see how much her situation is affecting her. Because believe it or not, Trish never really was the one to show too much sympathy or emotion to anyone but then again Ally is her best friend- they're practically sisters- so it's easier for the Latina to express her emotions.

"Ally?" Trish broke her thought bubble "You're zoning out again..."

"Oh, uh... what?" she blinked at her.

"Does her really bother you that much?"

"I don't-"

"Hey, Ally!" Dez cut her short, an impish smile splayed on his face as he caught up to them to the sidewalk. "And Trish." he added with a venomous tone and a glower.

"What is it now, you doof?" Trish returned the murderous look.

"I was talking to Ally." he shot back.

"Guys," Ally gave them a pointed look. These two can't seriously be in one place and not bite each other's head off.

"Sorry..."

Ally sighed, getting annoyed and tired of the two's pointless banters; although, she tried not to let it show. "So, what's up Dez? You wanted to talk to me?"

Dez smiled sheepishly "Yeah, about that... about, you know, last Friday... everything Austin said, I know Austin and I'm sure he didn't mean any of it but uh, I'm sorry about it."

The two girls looked at the Redhead with confused eyes.

A few seconds later, it clicked on Ally that Dez was apologizing for Austin's sake.

"You don't have to apologize about anything, Dez." she told him, shaking her head "Let's just forget about anything that happened last Friday."

"So, you're not mad?"

"I'll just settle for not wanting to linger on bad memories that much." she answered though it didn't really connect to Dez's question because truthfully, she didn't know herself if she really is mad at Austin or not.

Sure, she was still frustrated at him but she didn't feel like she was mad at him anymore- Ally was never the one to hold a grudge on someone. In fact, she actually felt nothing towards anything that was related to Austin. At least, she thinks she doesn't.

"So, wait, you're not mad at Austin for making Dez apologize in his behalf? That's very lousy of him you know."

"He didn't make me apologize for him." Dez pointed out "I just felt the need to say sorry to Ally 'cause I know that Austin didn't mean any of what he said."

"I told you, it's okay Dez. You don't need to apologize for Austin."

"Yeah, and if he really didn't mean any of those stuff, he should go apologize to Ally himself and not ask for someone to do it for him. God, that guy really is the biggest stuck up celebrity."

"Ugh, Trish he didn't ask me to apologize for him!" Dez insisted. Trish's assumption was absurd but he couldn't really blame her for thinking so because what Austin showed from last week was thick and conceited and irrational.

"Guys, relax." Ally intervened. She knew that her two friends were about to have another argument and that ws the least she wanted today. "Just forget about it, okay? I'm fine. Really, I am."

"Okay..." the two said, but still looking at her with concerned expression.

They were silent again as they got farther away from Marino High School and closer to the Mall.

Ally wanted to take the long route to Austin's house, anything just to delay her arrival to the Moons- and the two seemed to notice that.

"Hey, uh Dez..." Ally started again as they reached Sonic Boom.

"Hello, I'm here too, Ally." Trish sarcastically said.

"She's talking to me, Trish." Dez joked.

"Guys," the two immediately shut up "Anyway, I was just wondering if you will come to Austin's house today..."

"Oh," the Redhead shook his head "I can't. I have to finish re-building my gingerbread house and family since someone tortured them." he glared at Trish, who scowled back at him.

"Oh, okay... yeah," Ally nodded in a dejected way.

"Why did you want to know?"

She shrugged uncomfortably. "Uh, well... you- you told me that you two always hang out at his house after school, so I just assumed that you would hang out today..."

"Huh, I did tell you that didn't I? But, uh not today I guess."

"Okay, Ally so what's your real reason- why did you ask goofball about going to Austin's house?"

"W-what?" the pitch of her voice going higher "Why would you think that, Trish?" she denied "I was just asking Dez, what's wrong there?"

"Yeah, 'cause knowing Dez's whereabouts is totally interesting for you." the Latina gave her a knowing look, sarcasm dripping from her every word.

Ally sighed- Trish could read her like an open book. "Okay, you got me." she admitted "I just didn't want to go to Austin's house all alone today. So, I figured I'd ask Dez to come with me- I don't want to spent the rest of my day with Austin on my own, it'd be too awkward."

"Then why didn't you ask me?" Trish questioned, looking at little offended "Why ask doofus here? I'm your best friend, Ally, I'd gladly come with you to that jerk's amazing mansion."

"Yeah, but Dez is Austin's best friend and it's his house, so it'll be more appropriate if he comes with me..." she gave her an apologetic look, knowing well enough that Trish was a little offended.

"Plus, that fact that the last time you were there you practically barged in and volunteered to be Austin's manager." Dez added.

Trish glared at him "That was the, now I just want to rip off that guy's-"

"Trish!"

"What I was going to say 'face'!"

Ally rolled her eyes but said nothing more.

They strolled to the Mall of Miami in peaceful silence for a while.

"Well, I'm going to drop by the store before i head to Austin's house," Ally announced at they neared Sonic Boom "Where are you to heading?"

"I've got a shift at Shredder's today, so you know..." Trish said in a monotone voice.

"I'll stay at Shredder's or Mini's, finishing my gingerbread masterpiece- depending on who will be there." he threw Trish a sharp look " And since Trish has her shift at Shredder's today, I'll probably stay at Mini's"

Trish scowled again.

"Okay, then bye guys. Please try not to kill each other while I'm gone..." she sighed at her two friends before entering Sonic Boom.

* * *

He looked at the clock hanging on the wall across him '_3:39_' it showed.

'_She'd be here anytime now..._' he thought.

After that, Austin found himself walking down to the kitchen and preparing the necessary ingredients for making pancakes(he was hoping that she still wanted to make the pancakes with him), and bringing out a jar or pickles.

"Just keep it cool." he reminded himself.

The next few minutes of waiting for Ally was spent by Austin pacing around the living room. He was recalling everything his dad told him a few days ago: a sincere apology, no good deed- however small or big- goes unnoticed, and a gift of gratitude or in his case an apology gift(he still hasn't for that last part, though).

Finally, he heard the small gate of their house creak open. He peeked on the living room's window to see Ally close the gate and head to the porch of the house.

He inhaled deeply "Okay, okay this is it. Just act natural."

Then he casually sat on the couch(with the T.V. still off) and waited for Ally to ring the doorbell.

But more seconds passed and the door bell didn't rang and he was worried that she backed out, that she changed her mind and was not willing to "Babysit" him anymore.

Out of sheer panic, he frantically got up from the couch and rush to the front door; only to see Ally already inside the house and closing the door ever so quietly.

"Ally!" he squeaked then winced after hearing himself use such a high tone.

The Brunette tensed, not so quietly slamming the door shut. She inhaled deeply then sighed greatly, her hand still gripping the door handle tightly.

"Why didn't you ring the doorbell?" he asked, a little bit confused.

"I have a key, remember." she replied coldly then whirling around to look at him.

"Yeah, but-"

"You said I should use to the key that your mom gave me." she cut him off.

"R-right, yeah... I-I said that..." he scratched the side of his neck, looking down at his shoes. Suddenly, he lost all the courage to talk to her.

Before he could utter another word, Ally walked toward him. He closed his eyes, expecting her to slap him or something because she was still mad at him for being such a prick the last time they saw each other.

But nothing came. He didn't feel a sting on his face or a punch in his gut. So, he opened his eyes and saw that Ally wasn't even in front of him anymore.

'_Where'd she go?_' he thought then turned around and he saw that Ally was already heading to the kitchen.

"Wait, what?" he followed her to the kitchen again.

"Ally, wait." he called as he entered the kitchen "You're not-"

He abruptly stopped talking as soon as he saw Ally busying herself with the pancakes. His face showed utter confusion. Was she actually willing to cook pancakes for him even after what he did? He started at her, wondering how she was able to stand there as if nothing happened. Did that mean that she already forgave him? How can she be so calm being around him?

Austin snapped out of his thought when he saw her trying and failing to open the pickle jar on the kitchen counter.

"I-I'll open it..." he offered, his voice croaking.

'_Little things,_' he kept telling himself '_All the little things count..._'

She obliged to his request and held it to him, he reached for the jar that she clutched. His fingers brush against hers briefly and he felt that same odd sensation again.

Without any difficulty, he was able to open the jar then handed it back to her.

"Listen, Ally a-about the other day..." he started "I didn't really-"

"If you want to talk then talk, just don't talk about anything that happened last Friday..." she shook her head "Just forget about it."

He winced at her cold tone "I... y-yeah but, uh... I want to tell you-"

"I said just forget about it. You don't have to say anything about it."

"So, you're not mad?"

She didn't answer. She just kept on stirring the pancake mix(for a second, he was worried that she'd over mix it but then he remembered that an over-mixed batter was the least of his problems; she could may as well pour that batter on his head).

'_What do you think, genius?! So much for not talking..._' Ally inwardly scoffed '_How can he even ask if I was mad him?! You insult me and you think that I'm not mad at you?_'

They were silent as he watched her stop mixing the batter and pour some of it into the pan.

"I'm sorry..." he quietly said after a little while, looking down at his shoes. "I didn't mean any of those things... I was just... I was a little bit offended by what you said but then I realized that there was nothing I should be offended for- if anything I should be thanking you. I just let me ego get the best of me."

She was still silent so he continued on.

"I really am sorry- for everything. For annoying you, for making you listen to my songs even when you clearly didn't like them and for saying all those things about you... I had no right to say any of those stuff because I don't know who you are. And I'm not really expecting you to say anything but I hope you do forgive..."

Ally had to admit that was Austin said was very much sincere and genuine, but that didn't mean she had to give in to him that easily. For all she knew, he could just be faking it all.

Either way, she said nothing to him. After all he did say that she didn't have to say anything in reply to him, right?

They were silent for the rest of the day, going about their business like the other wasn't there- it was just like the first day Ally started on the job, except this time Austin didn't sing any of his song or annoy her. In fact, he did nothing that day to annoy her or get in the way of Ally. He did quite the opposite: he helped her in every way he could- in the most subtle way, of course- which made it more hard for the Brunette to stay hostile around him and ignore him.

A few times, she just wanted to stop him and tell him that she forgives him from everything that he did because he was nice to her and because Ally isn't really someone to hold a grudge on anyone, but didn't do that. She reminded herself that she has to stay true to her words, that she would be "professional" around him and keep things casual.

He'd make feeble attempts to make casual conversation with her but she'd just dismiss any topic that he'd come up with.

And the day ended with him trying his hardest to make it all up to her and her trying her best to ignore all his efforts.

It was very frustrating- for both of them. She wanted him to stop(because some twisted part of her still thinks that he's just showing off to her again- she prayed that he wasn't), and he wanted her to notice him(because, really, that's all he wanted at the moment).

It was just 6:30 P.M. when he let Ally go home(usually she doesn't go home until another one hour), but since he knew she had a lot more better things to do rather than to "babysit" someone she wasn't not really fond off.

"Well, um..." he said as he accompanied her out of the house, opening the door for her "I'll, uh... I'll see you tomorrow then..."

"Yeah, okay..." then she headed out of the house.

"Okay, bye." he waved at her but she didn't see it cause she was already going down the porch, she dropped his hand back to his side.

He closed the door as he saw her walk to the front gate and exit through it. '_She's still walking home?_' he asked himself as he watched her walk back east to her house through the narrow window glass between the door and the wall. But this time, he doesn't attempt to follow her- he was far too exhausted for it; maybe next time, he'll have the courage to drive her home, if she even talked to him the next time.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "What have you gotten yourself into, Austin?" he questioned before dragging himself to his room.

Austin brought out his phone as soon as his back hit the soft, comfy and warm bed and called Dez.

"Hey, buddy!" the Redhead greeted with a far too overjoyed tone that didn't really help his mood "What's up-?"

"She hates me, Dez!" he exclaimed.

"I don't hate you." Dez immediately replied "Wait, what? That's not possible. No one could hate you, man. You're like Austin Moon. And who is 'she'?"

"Well, apparently someone does and it's Ally."

"Oh..." the Redhead said "Yeah, maybe except for her... she really does hate your guts for being a jerk to her."

"Not helping, Dez!" he scowled at his phone.

"Uh, sorry..."

"I just don't get it. She didn't say that she's mad at me but I can tell- feel it even- that she still hates me."

"You're going to have to make it more clear, buddy. If she hates you then she's probably mad at you, too"

"I know!" he sighed deeply "But the thing is, I already apologized to her today, did all the things my dad advised me to do, but she didn't say anything about it- she even told me to just forget it. She didn't even say if she had forgiven me. So, then I asked her if she's mad at me but again she didn't say anything. It's like nothing even happened last Friday! And the way she's treating me is just so confusing!"

"And she's treating you how, exactly?"

"Well, she's treating me like I'm not even there, you know, it's like she doesn't even acknowledge my presence."

"How can she even do that?"

"Well, all day I've been trying to get her attention by helping her and doing nice things to her but all I receive from her is a small 'thank you' and a nod, and she's not even looking at me in the eyes. She doesn't even smile- she's giving me the silent treatment, Dez!"

Then they were silent. He could still hear Dez from the other line but the Redhead made no attempt to comfort him, and quite frankly, it slightly annoyed Austin- Dez really was clueless sometimes.

"Well, aren't you going to say something?" he slightly scoffed after a few more beats of silence.

"Oh, was I supposed to say something?" Dez asked "Okay, what do you want me to say?"

He smacked his phone to his forehead, groaning "Just give me advice or something. You're friends with Ally, right? What should I do to get her attention, to make her talk to me again."

"Oh, well... I don't know why Ally is giving you the cold shoulder but if you really do want my help, I have to ask first: are you only doing this because you want to clear your conscience of what you did or do you really want to be friends with Ally and ask for her forgiveness?"

"Well..." he thought for a moment, slightly taken aback by his best friend's words; he didn't really think Dez would be able to give some advice. "Both, I guess... I mean, I want Ally's forgiveness because my conscience is killing me but also because I genuinely feel bad about what I did to her and I want to start things over with her and put all those bad memories behind..." he shrugged, although he knew Dez couldn't see him.

"Okay, that's it then. You seem to already be on the right track into making Ally forgive you so you don't really need advice or anything. Just keep on doing good deeds to her; Ally isn't really the type of person to hold a grudge on someone that long, she'll give in eventually."

"When did you suddenly become so smart at talking, Dez?" he asked obviously not expecting to hear his best friend talk in such a grown up manner.

He heard him say something about being 'the Love Whisperer' or something of that sort but it was drowned out by the sound of a car pulling up into their driveway.

"I have to go, Dez." he cut him short "But thanks for the advice, man..."

Although, it didn't really help him that much, it did reassure him that Ally will still forgive him.

"Yeah, okay. I'll see you tomorrow then? Or am I not allowed to go to your house until you and Ally become friends?"

He heard a teasing tone in Dez's voice. And he rolled his eyes. "Haha, very funny, Dez. You can come here whenever you like."

Then they both said goodbye and hung up the phone.

* * *

"I don't know, Trish..." Ally started as she plopped down her bed, already in her PJs and her phone on her ear. "I don't think I can keep this up. I mean, he does seem to genuinely feel sorry and you know that I can't really stay mad at someone for that long."

"Come on, Ally just this whole week. You have to teach him a lesson." Trish said "If not then he'll just keep on pushing you to your limits and he'll think that it's okay to treat you that way."

"I know that... but I just don't think that I'll be able to make it through the whole week."

"Just give him a piece of you mind, Ally. Then I'm sure next week will be a lot better."

"I sure hope so because it's only the start of the week and I just- ah, it's easier said than done!" she groaned, finally snapping.

"It's just for this week, Ally, you can do that. Just ignore everything he does."

She nodded(even though, they were talking through the phone and not in person, so Trish couldn't really see her). "Yeah, okay... I'll try." she said before bidding her best friend goodbye and hanging up.

Ally took a deep breath. "Just for this week." she exhaled loudly before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

And believe it or not, she almost did make it a whole week without noticing him.

The very next day, that was what she did and again it was very frustrating for the two of them.

"Hi, Ally!" Austin greeted her as she came through the front gate of the house. The Blonde pop star was waiting for her by the porch.

She just nodded in reply and continued on walking, not even laying an eye on him.

His face fell when she didn't reply to him but nevertheless, followed her inside the house and they cooked pancakes(with her still not looking at him directly or talking to him).

He did the same thing the day after that and he almost had a full conversation with her.

"Hey, Ally, how was your day today?" he bombarded her with the question before she even fully entered the Moon residence. This time he was waiting for her by the gate of the house.

"It was okay..." she shrugged again, still not looking at him.

"Oh, okay..." he opened the gate to let her in "Let me carry tour bag." he offered a hand to her.

"I don't even have my bag with me."

"Oh, right, yeah... s-sorry..." he sheepishly said as he only noticed that she indeed did not have her bag with her.

She survived two whole days with just that routine- without having a proper conversation with Austin(although, it took a lot of effort to ignore his efforts).

All she ever did was go to his house, cook pancakes with him and then she'd leave him on his own, locking herself up in her own room downstairs. She'd leave at around 7:00 to 7:30 P.M., just before his parents came back from work. She made sure of that because she didn't want to have to face Mike and Mimi about her "little" situation about their son; it did surprise her that Austin didn't tell his parents about what happened between them, but then again neither did she.

She still had two more days to go before the week ends- hopefully she'll make it through the week without having any difficulties or interaction with Austin.

'_Two more days..._' another thought hit her as she walked home that day. '_Then mom will be flying to Africa..._'

It suddenly dawned on her that she had been spending so much time on her own thinking about her own petty trouble that it almost slipped er mind that her own mother would be leaving for Africa come Saturday morning.

She felt a pang of sadness and guilt. Instead of spending time with her own mother before she leaves for Africa, Ally spent her time worrying about what an obnoxious, stuck up pop star would think of her. And that was not good, she had to make it up to her mother, help her and spend time with her on her remaining days in Miami. She had to stop with all the worrying about anything associated to Austin and focus more on her parents and spend more time with them.

And she did. She forgot about the Blonde once she started spending quality time with her parents, and it was probably the happiest she'd been since all the fiasco she'd been through the past month or two.

* * *

**A/N: He-hey, people, whaddup? I'm back with the latest chapter of my IYAA. And I know you're probably thinking why this isn't the chapter that Austin apologizes to Ally and they finally become friends, but the things is I had to put this chapter because of certain things that will probably make more sense in the future chapter that will come *hint* *wink, wink* the flashback/dream. hahahahaha. I'm not gonna say anymore. I don't want to give away anything, you guys just have to wait for it. Hahahaha XD**

**[1]: That Thing You Do by The Wonders. This was from the movie That Thing You Do. It starred Tom Hanks, it's an old movie but I like it.**

**[2]: Smile by Uncle Kracker. It's a great song and really catchy. **

**But uh, what do you think about this? What are your theories about what will come in the next chapters? Was Austin's apology to Ally enough for her to forgive him? Or you think he should've done more. I don't know when the next update will be but I'm hoping to finish polishing the sixth chapter and I'm still only half way thru the seventh chapter so, it might take a little bit longer for me to update since I've been busy quite recently but fear not, I have more stories to come.**

**As always, you can ask me anything if there's something that you want to be cleared up- I swear, I don't bite. =D I'd be very grateful if you can leave a review as well, it helps me and lets me know that you guys actually enjoy my stories. Thanks again for everything, guys! :)**

**Up Next: Something that involves a party, a song, a handkerchief, and the return of Monica?**

**~Lou**


	6. Forgiveness and Farewells

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin&amp;Ally, all rights go to the Creators.**

**Enjoy!**

**A party, a song, a handkerchief and the return of Monica?**

* * *

_~ Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry ~_

_/ Coldplay 'The Scientist' /_

* * *

Chapter 6: Forgiveness and Farewells.

'_This is it. This is my last chance, if mom says 'no' and gets angry at me, I'm toast- dead meat._' he told himself.

Austin sighed theatrically "Isn't there any other way?" he looked at his dad with pleading eyes as they went down the stairs from the third floor.

The older Moon shook his head "Unless a miracle happens, I'm afraid this is the only option you've got left, son."

"She'll kill me, I can already see it. She'll take away my pancakes!"

"What's more important to you: Ally' forgiveness or the pancakes?"

"Well, that's a hard question dad," he grimaced, contemplating about his father's question. "I mean, if I choose the pancakes now, I'll have the comfort of mom's sweet tasting pancakes while I grieve over my cowardice and my guilt eats me up" he weighed it our with his hands, moving it up and down like a scale "But if I chose the forgiveness one then I'll have to give up the pancakes without the guarantee that Ally will actually forgive me, so you know..." he trailed away, seeing the pointed look his dad was giving him.

"Okay, okay, I'll ask her." he sighed before entering the kitchen, where his mom was preparing a fresh batch of pancakes.

"Hey, mom, can I ask you something?" he casually strolled in, his hands stuffed in his jeans, trying to hide his sweating and trembling.

"The pancakes are not done yet, mister." Mimi told him.

"That wasn't really what I was going to ask, but how long till they're done?"

"About a minute or two. So, what's your real question?"

"Oh, uh... y-yeah, about that..." he tensed "H-how would you feel if I-I threw a party this Friday?"

"A party? Austin Monica Moon you know how I feel about parties!"

"Yeah, but the thing is-"

"No. You won't have a party, what-so-ever. It'll just cause you trouble and that's the least Jimmy wants to hear about. Besides who are you even going to invite?"

"Well, it's actually more of a get together than a party, really. I mean, I know Jimmy wouldn't appreciate that but what if it's... for a good cause?"

'_Yeah, like your dignity and conscience._' a voice inside his head mocked him. He willed himself to ignore it.

"A good cause? Like what?" his mom frowned at him "Honey, if you want to do charity work then just go to the orphanage downtown or the retirement home at the suburbs. I'm sure Jimmy would appreciate that more than anything else- you'd be making your career even more popular."

"This is not about my career, mom. This is more than just charity work. I just... I thought, you know, Ally's mom is going to Africa this coming Saturday and, you know, maybe we could like give her a little farewell party- I mean, that Dawson have been really kind to us since we got here, they even let Ally 'baby- er, accompany me. So, you know, we could like have a gathering from them... like one of those formal parties you've been wanting to have since we moved to L.A. before."

"Hmm..." she paused to think about what her son has explained "That's actually not a bad idea, little prince. I can finally use those vintage china I bought years ago!" she gushed as she flipped that last batch of pancakes and clapped her hands together. "But who will be at the gathering? It can't be just us and the Dawson but we don't know the other neighbors."

Austin's face broke into a grin; his mom was actually considering his idea. "We could invite Dez's family. He and Ally are actually friends and Trish's family, too."

"Really, now? Good for Dez, but who's Trish?"

"She's Ally's best friend."

"Oh... okay."

"So, can I throw that party- uh, um the farewell get together, I mean. For Ally's family."

"We'll talk about it over breakfast. Now, go get your dad and let's eat."

He nodded, a smile creeping on his lips. He had the gut feeling that his mom would agree to his request. "Just think about it, mom, we could also make it a thank you party for Dez's family as well- they have been helpful to us as well when we got here." he added for good measure.

Once he was out of the kitchen, he grinned at his dad. "Mom says that breakfast is ready." he told him.

"And what about the party?" Mike inquired, a skeptical brow raised at him.

"She says we'll talk about it over breakfast- and it's a farewell get together, not a party."

"She'll say yes." his dad concluded with an amused tone.

"Yup, definitely." he grinned even wider as they head to the dining room to have breakfast with Mimi.

And sure enough, the premonition of the two male Moons was correct and Mimi agreed into throwing a farewell party(get together) for the Dawson a day before Penny leave for Africa.

A sigh of relief escaped Austin when is mother finally uttered her agreement with his reasoning about having the party.

Then the two adults went to work and Austin busied himself with planning the farewell party. He had at least a day and a half to do so.

And the first thing he needed to do was how to discreetly invite them without anyone else to know about it. This meant that he had to make sure Dez wouldn't do something to give away his plan to anyone, especially Ally- he was sure that the Brunette would not come if she knew his intentions with the party. That also meant he had to tell Penny and Lester without Ally knowing about it.

'_This is going to be tricky._' he told himself as he thought of a way to talk to Ally's parents without telling them about what happened between him and Ally as well.

Another obstacle for him was Ally's best friend, Trish. He was sure the feisty Latina had changed her mind about him after last week's little show. And from the stories Dez had told him about her, she could totally kick his butt. Just by the way, Trish barged in on them that day intimidated him- the girl's Black pits for eyes can make you want to be swallowed by the earth if anyone saw her mad.

He shuddered as he remembered all the stories Dez told him before about this Latina girl who could plot up a whole revenge plan in a day- he assumed that Trish was the very same girl- she could totally humiliate him!

Austin shook his head. "This is no time to be so negative, Austin." he scolded himself.

With that, Austin worked all day about the farewell party, how to invite Ally's family, Dez's and Trish's, without the press knowing about any of it. He was sure Jimmy wouldn't appreciate him being on the tabloids when he was on the-down-low. Being on the cover of the latest issue of Cheetah Beet as the teen pop star who threw a party for his "babysitter" because he offended her was not the cover he wanted to be in.

So, for the rest of the day he just worked on planning everything out- from the little decorations, and Penny's farewell banner to the food(he made sure there would be pickles) and the song that he would perform.

At around 3:20 P.M. though, he stopped because Ally would be over at his house in a few minutes. Cleaning up the crumpled pieces of paper on his desk and throwing them to the bin by his desk before heading down to the kitchen to prepare the pancakes.

He heard the door open and he stopped what he was doing and went out to the foyer.

"Hey, Ally!" he greeted once again "...and Dez?" he added upon seeing his Red haired best friend enter just after Ally did.

"Hey, what's up Austin!" Dez said.

"Uh, hey Dez what are you doing here?" Austin asked, slightly annoyed.

Don't get him wrong or anything, Dez is his best friend- almost like the brother he never had- and he loved him to death but he really has terrible timing sometimes. Out of all the days he could've visited him, just had to be today. When he had so many things going on.

"Oh, you know, I just though I'd visit today."

"Oh, yeah okay. That's cool. I'm totally fine with that."

"Awesome! We could play the latest Disco Explosion game that my cousin sent me- they have an Austin Moon character and your songs in it!" Dez pulled out a CD compact from his bag and waved it at him.

"Really? That's awesome!" he exclaimed, his smile going from ear to ear.

"Yup, come on, let's go play it!" then Dez skidded upstairs while Austin turned to Ally, his smile dropping.

"Do you wanna come?" he cautiously asked her.

"No." she shook her head.

"You sure? Like you're totally fine with it? You don't mind at all?"

"Just go. I'm okay-"

"Austin, come on!" he heard Dez holler "What's taking you so long?"

"I'm talking to Ally, Dez."

"Ally? Just leave Ally to herself, dude." the Redhead walked back downstairs. "She won't mind."

"But-"

"He's right, you know." Ally cut him off "I don't mind at all- just go with Dez. I'll be in the kitchen."

He looked at her and then to Dez by the stairs and back again. He sighed "Okay, there's pickles in the fridge if you want some and the pancake batter is all ready mixed." then he went upstairs with Dez.

For the rest of the day, Austin and Dez were just upstairs in the attic playing Disco Explosion and the latest Zalien Simulation: Eat or Be Eaten on Oculus Rift(which scared both of them to death). While Ally was downstairs busy with her own business- she as probably doing her assignments.

She only went upstairs once to tell the two boys that she had already cooked the pancakes and were on the table. Then she dismissed her self again to her room before either of them could say anything else.

Ally went home at around seven, leaving Dez and Austin with just a simple goodbye.

"I'll see you tomorrow..." she waved at them or was it just at Dez? Austin was pretty sure she was just talking to Dez but still he waved back at her.

"Bye, Ally." Dez said like a 5-year-old. Then she walked home again. And Dez walked back upstairs.

"Dude, she's gone." the Redhead deadpanned "Why are you still standing there?"

"Oh, uh... it- it's nothing. Let's go."

They played Zalien Simulation for half an hour more before his parents finally arrived. Dez had dinner with them and unfortunately for him, his mom spilled the beans and told Dez about his planning of giving the Dawson a party.

"Really? Dude, that's awesome!" Dez exclaimed, jumping up and down on his seat. "Who else is invited?"

He started to open his mouth to answer but his mom beat him to it. "Your family, of course. Ally's family and who was the other one, Austin?" Ally's best friend- what was her name again? Tina? Tanya?"

"It's Trish, mom." he rolled his eyes.

"T-Trish?" Dez choked on his food. "What? Austin, are you out of your mind?"

"Dez, what's the matter? Is something wrong?"

"As a matter of fact-"

"It's nothing." Austin cut him off "He's just a little excited about the party." he nervously laughed "Dez can I talk to you in the kitchen? Like, right now..." then he stood up from his chair and dragged his best friend along with him to the kitchen, not even waiting for a reply.

"What was that about?" he whispered with a snarl.

"No, man," Dez shook his head "What was _that_ all about? Are you out of your mind? You're committing suicide by inviting Trish, you do know that she also hates your guts for what you did to Ally."

He sighed "I know that. And I'm literally dead scared for my life now- no pun intended."

"Then why do you want to invite Trish?"

"Because she's probably one of the only people who can convince Ally to stay at the party for the whole night. If Trish is there then at least I know Ally has a reason to stay because she can talk to Trish."

Dez didn't reply to that. He just nodded as if he completely understood what Austin meant, and maybe he really did, too- Austin couldn't really tell, nowadays he learned that Dez wasn't much of a nitwit than he used to be when they were younger(people give him less credit for what he's worth, though he still has his moments) and that made him realize that a lot has changed since he was last in Miami.

He shook his head " Just promise me you won't tell anyone about the party." he said "Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

Dez shrugged "I don't know, man. I mean, you told me to trust you about nothing going wrong with you plan to impress Ally when you two first met and look where that got you."

Austin glared at him. "Can we not talk about that. I'm already doing something to make up for it."

"Okay, buddy. Just try not to get yourself beat up."

"Thanks, man."

* * *

Ally and Trish walked up to Ally's house that Friday afternoon. She didn't know why, but apparently she wasn't going to "babysit" Austin today, and if she was being honest she couldn't be more happy about it.

"So, that's just it?" Trish asked her, after she told her about her encounter with Austin the previous days(Trish wanted an everyday report about it). "He stopped being nice when Dez was there?"

"Yeah, after Dez came with me the other day, he was to his old self, I guess." Ally shrugged "I mean, yesterday he didn't do anything bizarre to impress me or something, so I guess our plan kinda worked."

"Then why don't you sound pleased about it?" Trish teased.

"What? Pfft... what are you saying? Of course, I'm happy about it at least I don't have to pretend to ignore him cause he's doing all the ignoring for me..."

"Uh-huh, really Ally?"

"Trish! Of course!" she insisted as her best friend gave her a mocking look "Although, I do wonder what happened. I mean, one day he was like begging for my attention and then the next it's like I don't exist."

Trish's face broke into a grin "Yeah, now come on, we have some catching up to do. You've been so caught up with this whole 'babysitting' Austin thing that you've been missing a lot in school."

"What? That's not true, I still have complete notes and-"

"I didn't mean academically because let's face it, even if you don't go to school for a month you'll still be able to cope up because of all the advance reading you do in summer, but anyway, I'm talking about socially."

Ally rolled her eyes "Really, Trish? You want me to talk about my non-existent social life?"

Trish chuckled, shaking her head in amusement."Yeah, well, I think you're gonna have one after this."

"What do you mean?"

"Dallas is single again. Yup, he and Brooke are over because apparently he let slip that he has a crush on a certain Brunette who works on her father's music shop..."

Ally felt her cheeks heat up and her ears go red. "B-but how can you be sure? I'm sure I'm not the only at school who works at her father's music shop."

Trish shook her head "Surprisingly, you actually _are_ the only girl at school whose father owns a music shop, so I think it's pretty clear that he was talking about you."

Dallas is Ally's current crush. She's liked him since Freshman year(after that date with Elliot went disastrous), she's grown fond of the cute Brunette. Although, they never really talk that much(mainly because she becomes so shy around him that she become speechless), Ally found it a lot more comfortable in admiring him from afar- from when he's working at the cellphone accessory cart and she's behind the counter of Sonic Boom across the mall(yeah, it was a little creepy- stalker-ish in a way).

Trish smirked at her "It's what Kimmy has been telling everybody this whole week, I'm surprised you haven't heard of it yet or that Brooke still don't have your head. Won't be long now until Dallas asks you out..."

She blushed but didn't say anything else because truthfully, she doesn't know how to react to it. It's been a while since someone asked her out on a date(more like a year and a half- the last one being Ethan and the date didn't really go that well). She just hoped that what Trish said was true- that Dallas really does have a crush on her, and if so, then she is hoping that he would ask her out soon.

As they neared Ally's house, Trish stopped and squinted at her house.

"Is it just me or is that our family car parked in front of your house?" she asked.

"What?"

The Latina pointed at the direction of her house "Look, I could even see JJ by your porch."

Ally stopped walking as well, following Trish's finger and saw that she was right. But why on earth would Trish's family be at her house at this time? Was there some special occasion or something? Surely, her mom would've told her if they were having dinner or something.

Her brows furrowed in confusion "Huh, that's weird... Did your parents mention anything about going to my house today?" she asked, a pout forming on her lips.

Trish shook her head "No. I don't recall anything about it."

"Okay... so, what's going on then?"

"Don't know." Trish shrugged "Only one way to find out and that is to go there and ask them."

Then they continued on walking to Ally's house.

As they approached the house, they saw JJ sitting by the stairs of the porch, struggling to get his two index fingers out of a Chinese hand cuff.

"What are you doing, JJ?" Trish raised an eyebrow at her younger brother, folding her arms in front of her.

"Trying to get these stupid hand cuffs off of my fingers, what does it look like I'm doing." the younger Dela Rosa answered, still too busy to look up at the two girl.

"No, not that. I mean, what are you doing here? Why are you here?"

"Oh, yeah that..." JJ smiled at them "Mom, Aunt Penny, Trish and Ally are here!" he hollered to the wide open door of the house.

Not a second later, they saw both their mothers on the threshold of the door.

"Oh, good you two are here!" Penny clapped her hands together.

"Mom, why are you here?" Trish made a face at her mother.

"Because we are going to the new neighbors house, you know the new ones that I told you that moved here a few weeks ago. And Penny, Lester and Ally are coming too- they're taking us to their house since you didn't tell me where it was."

"What?!"

"No more question," Penny ushered them in "Get inside and change your clothes- it's a formal gathering-"

"But I don't have any formal clothes with me." Trish protested.

"Of course yo do." her mom answered again "I brought along with me a bunch of your favorite dresses, it's in Ally's room."

Ally shook her head "Wait, what? I don't-"

"We leave at 6:30, so you two have at least an hour and a half to prepare."

And with that, both their moms disappeared to the kitchen, talking something about a secret recipe.

The two best friends walked up to the stairs to Ally's room quietly. A dumbfounded look on both their faces. Neither knew just how to react at the moment, being bombarded by too many information and instruction way too fast.

They stopped by Ally's bedroom door and the Brunette turned to the Latina.

"What just happened?"

"I have no idea."

"So, should we get dressed or not?"

"Might as well..."

Then they entered her room and as instructed by their mothers they changed their clothes into formal ones and prepared for the gathering(that they still have no idea what for).

Ally was wearing a plain white dress that had frills on its tips and goes down just above her knees and a simple pair of sandals. While Trish wore her signature Leopard print dress and Zebra pumps. Light make up both on their faces and hair hanging loose on their shoulders.

"Girls are you ready?" Penny called to them by fifteen past six.

"We're on our way down, mom." Ally called back before sighing and giving her best friend a look "Come on, Trish you look fine..."

Trish grumbled but nonetheless turned away from the mirror and followed Ally out of the bedroom.

They got downstairs to see both their families waiting for them, all well-groomed and fancied up. Their moms were in dresses as well and their dads and Trish's younger brother, JJ, were all wearing dress shirts and/or button ups.

"You two look great, but are you all set?" Penny said, beaming at them.

"Thanks, mom. We're ready but, uh where are we going, exactly?" she asked, unconsciously pulling at the frills of her dress.

"To the Moons, of course."

She tensed up even more "Huh? Why?"

Penny chuckled "Because Mike and Mimi invited us over for dinner."

"Even my family?" Trish asked.

"Yes, Patricia." Trish's mom replied, nodding her head enthusiastically.

"Okay, but why do we have to dress so formally?" Trish whined. Not that she didn't want to dress that way, but she really just wasn't in the mood in wearing her Zebra pumps and it was already killing her feet- Ally warned her about it.

"Because it's a formal gathering."

"Okay, okay, no more questions," Trish's dad interjected "Let's go, we wouldn't want to be late."

And with that, they all head out of the Dawsons house and head to the Moons residence.

* * *

"I'll get it!" Austin shouted as he ran downstairs to their front door. e fixed his hair and straightened his button up shirt, ruffling his hair into its perfection.

He smiled as he opened the door "Hello-"

"Hey, Austin!" Dez exclaimed, jumping up like the big kid that he is.

His smile faltered for a second- he was expecting Ally and her family to be at his doorstep- not that he didn't like to see Dez and his family, no of course not, that's not it, it was just that the main purpose of the whole party that he so begged his mother to have was for the Dawsons.

Still he hugged his best friend and greeted Dez's family altogether.

"Hi, guys!" he waved at them, moving aside to let them in.

"Hey, Austin!" Didi, Dez's younger sister, gave him a hug. "It's been a while since I last saw you- still have nice hair, I see."

"It's all because of the hair product you told me to use, of course." he chuckled, patting Didi on the head. She was like the sister he never had- he and the younger Wade had grown a brother-sister relationship as well through the years he's been best friends with Dez.

"Austin Moon, how's my favorite Blonde dude?" Dennis Wade offered his hand to him and they did the same 'What-up!' handshake that him and Dez do.

"What up!" they exclaimed(even Dez), laughing a little.

"I'm doing great, Dennis. How about you? What's the invention of this week?"

"Potato catapult." Dennis beamed at him.

"Awesome!" he high-fived with the two male Wades. "Even though I have no clue what that is."

"It's really cool-"

"Okay, okay, enough boy talk." Dez's mom interrupted them "Where are your parents, Austin?"

"Oh, right yeah. Come on, let's go to the living room." Then he led them to the living room, where the gathering would be held.

"Mom, they're here!" he called.

Mimi emerged out of the kitchen. "Donna!" she squealed once she saw the Redhead woman. They hugged.

"Hello, Mimi!" Mrs. Wade smiled at her as they pulled away "It's been so long since I saw you. How's everything been?"

She returned the smiled "Everything's great. How about you? What's new?"

"We're doing good; Donald here has some new inventions lined up."

"Oh, that's great."

Soon Mike Moon joined them, shaking hands with Dennis and talking about a new product collaboration with Moon's Mattress Kingdom and one of Donald's invention to improve the Moon's company mattresses.

Dez stood next to Austin in the middle of the living room. "Nice touch on everything, man."

He smirked, looking around the living room seeing the banner and the small tinsels hanging around the roof and the small decorations around the room as well. It was simple yet very endearing to look at.

"Thanks, man. Took a lot to make it look like this- especially because I did it all myself, mom and dad of course helped in some things but they had to tend to the factory so, you know..."

"So, Austin, Dez mention that you prepared a song for Ally." Didi suddenly appeared beside them, wriggling her eyebrows at the Blonde.

"W-what?" he jumped in shock letting out a small whimper "Pfft... n-no, I don't, Who- who told you that? And you know Ally, too?"

"Dez did. I just told you that." Didi chuckled "And of course I know Ally, she's like a sister to me."

"Mhmm, yeah me, too. She's kinda like the sister I never had..." Dez butted in nonchalantly while Austin gave him a confused look, pointing from Didi to him and back again.

"But Didi's-"

"Nah, it's fine. Forget about that." the younger female Wade shrugged it off, seemingly used to her brother's nonchalant and tactless attitude. "So, is it true then? You wrote a song for Ally and you're going to sing it tonight?"

"Yes, I'm going to sing a song tonight but it's not only for Ally, it's for all of you- and no, I didn't write it." he replied firmly.

"Okay-"

The sound of the doorbell cut Didi off and Austin dashed off to the front door again. Putting on his million dollar smile.

"Hello!" he greeted once he opened the door.

"Hello, Austin." Penny smiled at him. He scanned who was in front of him; Lester was there, Trish, two other adults that he assumed were the Latina's parents, another boy about 2 or 3 years younger than he is(he was sure the boy was Trish's brother or something), and of course, Ally.

The first thing he noticed about the Brunette was her dress- it was plain White that fits her just right. The sleeves ending just by her shoulder, and the little frills hanging on its tips by her knees looked great on her. Her hair in a perfect loosely curled way, dropping up until below her shoulders and make up light that she almost looked like she wasn't wearing any of the cosmetics(which is how he usually preferred on girls).

Wait, why was he suddenly noticing those things about Ally? He only does that when he thinks he likes a girl and he totally does not like Ally. Surely he's not feeling anything about his "babysitter" right? Cause that's completely inappropriate and unprofessional.

"Whoa, man, you're Austin Moon!" the boy exclaimed, breaking him out of his thoughts, gaping at him.

"Yup," he nodded "Last time I checked I'm still him."

"Oh, dude this is so awesome- I'm a big fan. Trish, it looks like you really will be his manager. I'm JJ, by the way." he extended his hand at him.

"Hello, JJ, it's nice to meet you." he shook his hand.

"Yes, hello, it's very nice to meet you." Trish's mom said "I'm Trish's mom and we are very happy that you invited us here today."

"It's nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Dela Rosa." he nodded "Please come in." He let them inside the house.

"Oh wow, your house is huge, dude!" JJ exclaimed as they walked through the foyer to the living room.

"JJ, be polite- do not shout." Mrs. Dela Rosa said while Trish whacked the back of her brother's head. Austin stifled a chuckle.

"Ow mom did you see what Trish did?!" JJ complained.

"Enough." Mr. Dela Rosa cut them off, giving his children a look. "I'm very sorry for their behavior, Austin."

"It's okay."

They were cut short when they reached the living room. The adults approached them and greeted one another.

"Hello, welcome!" Mimi told them a wide smile plastered on her face.

"Mimi," Penny said "Thank you so much for this, but you didn't really have to do this."

"Oh, don't be silly." Mike laughed "It's no big deal, really. This is the least we cold do to thank you."

"Yes, yes" Mimi said, clapping her hands together "Now, come on let's have dinner, you guys are probably starving."

Everyone nodded in agreement and they all went to the dining room which now had another table where the teens sat at while the adults on the other.

Unlike their parents' animated chat with one another on the other table, the six teens were rather awkward and tense(well, Austin and Ally were with other). JJ tried to talk to Austin and he tried to be nice to the young boy and answered his questions as enthusiastically as he can, but he really can't focus now, can he?

Nope, every once in a while his gaze falls back to Ally, who was quietly talking to Trish and Didi. He could sense that she really didn't want to be there- he couldn't really blame her.

After sometime, they finally finished eating and moved from the dining area to the living room.

"He's not so bad after all." Trish said as she and Ally observed the Blonde from a corner of the room. He was talking to the Wade siblings and JJ(their parents were talking with one another as usual).

"Yeah, I guess so..." she shrugged, not really wanting to talk anything about Austin- she currently was still confused about what is happening.

The next thing she knows, the Blonde was walking down the middle of the room while Dez was setting up the keyboard.

Austin stood in front of all of them, an uneasy smile on his lips.

Ally couldn't help but notice how different Austin looked in a button up shirt than a v-neck and a leather jacket. Not that it would change anything about how she sees him it wouldn't make any difference at all- he may be wearing a good boy's clothes but that still wouldn't change or even cover up for how much of a jerk he was to her.

The Blonde cleared his throat, interrupting her thoughts(of him).

'_Okay, this is it._' Austin told himself before he spoke up.

"Well, uh... okay, how do I start this... wow, I feel like I'm doing an acceptance speech or something..." he awkwardly said, earning himself a laugh from the adults and an eye roll from Trish(she would've scoffed but Ally nudged her shoulder before she could do so, giving her a look). "Hehe, but uh, my parents and I, we really appreciate all of you being here and we really just want to thank all of you here because you were the first people who took us in and accept us back here in Miami. Dennis and Donna, thank you for remembering us even though we haven't been here in Miami for years and for being the first to welcome us back."

"You guys are family." Dennis stated, smiling at him.

"Thank you, Dennis." Mike said, giving the man a grateful nod before turning back to his son, an encouraging look on his face.

"And uh, Mr. and Mrs. Dela Rosa," Austin continued "I know we've only met you guys today, my family still appreciate your presence. Trish, JJ, Dez and Didi thank you to you guys, too..."

There was a brief moment of silence before he began again, exhaling subtly "And of course, the Dawsons. I mean, we wouldn't be here if you guys didn't help our family. And I- we- know that your family has been going through a lot lately but you were still kind enough to help us. I could only imagine how much you've been going through. So, Lester, Penny and Ally, thank you so much. For everything." as he spoke, he looked at the three Dawsons(although his gaze lingered on the young Brunette longer than it should).

"So... this song is for you guys- for all of you, even my parents." he smiled at his mother and father. "You two have been very supportive of me all these years, and I couldn't thank you enough. And though, I didn't really write this song, you know even if this is not my song because let's face it, I couldn't write a song as good as this one even if my life depended on it." they all laughed, even Ally did(just a little giggle escaping her before catching herself and having a blank expression on her face again). "But seriously, I still dedicate this song to all of you, especially the Dawsons, I really hope your trip to Africa tomorrow will be safe Penny and that everything will be fine in your family."

"Thank you, Austin." Lester gave him a smile. "You're a good kid."

Penny nodded, for once actually agreeing with her (ex) husband. "Yes, thank you. You've got a really great son, Mike and Mimi."

The two Moons just smiled and nodded in response as their son started playing the piano.

The moment she heard him play the first chord on the piano, Ally instantly knew what song he was going to sing. And she was a bit surprised at how he was able to capture what she was feeling at the moment.

"This song is called '_The Scientist_' by Coldplay, you can sing along with me if you know the song."

She didn't know what it was but her resentment towards the Blonde singer subsided when he started singing.

"_**Come up to meet you,**_

_**Tell you I'm sorry,**_

_**You don't know how lovely you are,**_"

Maybe it was the way he sang or it was the fact that this was the very same song that she thought best described her situation. Her does eyes were glued to him.

"_**I had to find you,**_

_**Tell you I need you,**_

_**Tell you I set you apart.**_

_**Tell me your secrets**_

_**And ask me your questions**_

_**Oh, let's go back to the start.**_

_**Running in circles, **__**coming up tails**_

_**Heads on a science apart.**_"

He got lost in his singing and she couldn't help but notice how much emotion there was in his singing, almost getting lost in his singing too.

"_**Nobody said it was easy,**_

_**It's such a shame for us to part.**_

_**Nobody said it was easy**_

_**No one ever said it would be this hard.**_

_**Oh, take me back to start.**_"

He continued on playing every chord at the same moment- and it was perfect; the way he sang the song, how his hands pressed the right keys on the piano at the right time- everything was just perfect.

"**_I was just guessing at number and figures_**

**_Pulling the puzzles apart_**

**_Questions of Science, Science and progress_**

**_Do not speak as loud as my heart._**"

Almost too perfect that she realized that only the now- that moment- was the only thing perfect in her life.

They locked eyes, a mesh full of Chocolate Brown and Hazel Brown was the only thing both of them could see. She was beginning to get lost in his eyes, something about its color made her feel relaxed, like the same effect his '_Heard It On The Radio_' had on her, it triggered something inside her.

"_**And tell me you love me,**_

_**Come back and haunt me**_

_**Oh, when I rush to the start**_

_**Running in circles, chasing tails**_

_**Coming back as we are.**_

_**Nobody said it was easy**_

_**Oh, it's such a shame for us to part.**_

_**Nobody said it was easy,**_

_**No one ever said it would be this hard.**_"

He closed his eyes and she looked away from everybody, tears starting to well up in her eyes

It dawned on her what was the whole meaning of the song, and the party as well. That was the reason she started singing the song a few days ago because her mom is going to Africa tomorrow morning and this was not just a simple "thank you" party for them, it was a farewell party for Penny too since she wouldn't see her mom for at least a year or two. And her parents were getting divorced- everything was just changing, nothing will ever be the same for her again.

"**_I'm going back to the start._**" **[1]**

He sang once more before going into the instrumental part of the song, but it was all too much for Ally and she slowly found herself sneaking away from the living room, blending into the background and slipping away from everybody else and she ran- not outside, just upstairs- up to the attic. Fortunately for her, no one seemed to notice that she was gone at the moment because all their attention were directed to Austin.

When he finished the song and pressed the final chord, everyone in the room applauded(Dez gave him a two thumbs up and even an impressed look from Trish). He could tell that they all felt the same passion and emotion as he did when he sang.

Austin looked around the living room to see Ally's reaction but she wasn't there.

"Great job, Austin!" Dez walked up to him and patter his back "Made me tear up." the Redhead wiped the imaginary tears off his cheeks.

"Oh, little prince, that was beautiful!" his mother gave him a hug as the others approached him as well.

"Thank you, Austin." Lester shook his hand.

"It's nothing, Mr. Dawson." he replied "I'm really glad you liked it."

Penny also gave him a hug, whispering a 'thank you' to his ear before he made his way to Trish- if anyone would know where Ally would be, it was her.

"Not bad, pop star." Trish gave him a satisfied look.

"Thanks, but uh, where's Ally?"

She looked around "Ally? She's right behind-" she stopped abruptly when she didn't see her Brunette best friend behind her "Hey, where's Ally? She was just behind me before you finished the song..."

It looked like even Trish didn't notice that she left- no one did.

"Where do you think she went? And why would she leave?"

"Well, I don't know where she went but I think I know why she left."

"Oh, man, did I do something wrong again?" Austin felt the guilt inside of him bubble up again.

"No, it's not that. Quite the opposite actually. You finally did something right, Mr. Big Shot."

"But where did she go?"

"Are you guys talking about Ally?" JJ said, suddenly appearing beside them. "By the way, awesome performance man."

"Thanks, JJ but do you know where Ally is?" he gave the boy a pleading smile.

"Oh, yeah, I saw her run upstairs just before you finished singing.."

He looked at the stairs "Really?" the young Dela Rosa nodded "Okay, thanks!" then he dashed upstairs before anyone could stop him(hopefully, Trish would be kind enough to cover for him and Ally when someone notices that both of them are gone).

Once on the second floor, he checked all the rooms(even the bathroom) but he didn't find her anywhere there. He searched for her down the basement in her room but still she wasn't there.

So, he ran up to third floor of the house and there Austin found Ally, sitting on the piano bench in the attic practice room.

Slowly, he approached the glass door and slid it open.

"Knock, knock," he said peering his head through the gap of the sliding doors "Can I come in?"

She looked up at him, hand mid-playing a chord- she wasn't at all that surprised seeing him there. "It's your room..." she shrugged.

Austin chuckled a little as he went over to where she was, sitting beside her on the piano bench.

"What song are you playing? Is it one of your songs?"

"It's not my song." she shook her head "I just found it here," she pointed at the music sheet on the top of the piano- it was the unfinished song he wrote.

"O-oh, that..." he nervously said, scratching the back of his head. "That's, that's just nothing... it's uh, n-not finished yet..."

"You wrote this?" she asked, a mix of amusement and incredulity in her eyes. "I thought you couldn't write songs?"

Austin sheepishly laughed "I thought so too, and I believe I still can't. That's just the chorus, I haven't got a bridge nor any verses..."

"Oh..." was all she said before they went into an eerie silence.

"C-can you hear it?" she asked after a few seconds- it's not that she hasn't played it earlier on but it was his song so she thought it would be better if she heard it coming from him.

"A-are you sure?" he was taken aback by her request, not believing that she really wanted to hear the song. "It's- it's not that good and it's incomplete."

"Yeah, I'm sure. It doesn't matter if it's not finished yet, I'm sure it's great." she shrugged, smiling at him every word in her sentence true to it because she really did believe that the song was good.

"Okay..." he nodded. Then his hands started playing the song.

"_**It's you, i**__**t's you**_

_**I know we're not the same **_

_**But we do what we do.**_"

He started singing, solely focusing on the song and trying his best not to get distracted by the fact that Ally was staring at him from his side. Her eyes burning through him, the same Brown doe eyes that just seemed to be so familiar to him.

"_**It's you and it's me,**_

_**And who says that we have to agree? **_

_**'Cause I like, what I like**_

_**And sometimes we collide.**_

_**But it's you and it's me,**_

_** I know we're not the same **_

_**But we do what we do.**_"

Then he stopped, his hand lingering on the last chord, making the piano sound an echo of it.

"T-that's just it..." he shrugged, finally looking at her directly in the eyes, hoping to find at least a trace of approval from her. "I couldn't think of anything else after that... so, you know..."

"That's okay, it's really good. I like it. Where did you get the song idea from? What inspired you?"

Austin looked at her with curious eyes, wondering if she's okay now- if she's okay with him. And it seemed like it. She did say that she liked the song, something that made him lightly blush.

So, he answered her question. "It just came to me, I guess... after, you know, last week... I realized that you were right."

"Right? About what?"

"About everything. You know, how we're not all the same in life and that just because I'm famous doesn't mean everybody likes me- not all people are the same, we go through all sorts of different challenges in life and we deal with them in our own unique way. And we don't all like the same things. So, I guess you- our differences- inspired me to write the song," he said, not looking at her directly though at the corner of his eye he could see her cheeks get a little red(he was certain he probably looked the same).

"And I'm sorry for all the things that I said. It was just that when Trish said you didn't tell her about... well, doing this job about accompanying me, the ego inside of me-"

"You mean, 'Monica'." she teased.

"Haha," he rolled his eyes playfully. The tension between them has already died down and the atmosphere is much more comforting. "But yes, I guess so... my ego kind of took it the wrong way and thought that you didn't really want the job, which if you think about it now is a pretty stupid thing. I mean, if I were you I wouldn't want to 'babysit' a seventeen year old, too. Especially if he's a jerk like me-"

"You're not a jerk, Austin."

"Well, I was a jerk to you. And I'm so sorry about everything, I was wrong about everything that I said to you," his tone became serious and sincere as he continued "I didn't know anything about you so I had no right to tell you those things. I know I can't take back any of what I said but I want you to know that I regret every single thing that I said or did that day. All I can do now is apologize and hope to make everything better after this- I hope you can still forgive me and maybe we can start thing off with the right foot."

She was quiet for a few seconds after he finished talking, and he feared that he failed into asking for her forgiveness, that she was still mad at him and still won't forgive him.

"So, does this mean that 'Monica' is gone?" she finally said, a hint of tease in her voice, a smile was tugging at her lips. A warm tingling sensation rushed through her when she was listening to him apologize to her and she knew that she couldn't stay mad at him for long.

"Well... y-yes..." he thought about it and decided to tease her as well "I mean, I can't exactly say that the 'Monica' in me is really gone- he still is a part of me. So, you may see him every once in a while."

She frowned at him, the smile on her lips dropping and turning into a pout.

He laughed, holding his hands up in surrender at her expression. "Kidding. I'm just kidding."

Her frown turned into a playful glare and she nudged him with her shoulder "Not funny. But apology accepted." she said, smiling at him.

"Really?" she nodded and he leaped up from the bench, fist pumping the air. "Yes!" he exclaimed.

She laughed at his childishness, standing up as well.

"Thank you. I promise I'll make it up to you. We can be friends. We'll start over."

"Okay, but come on let's go down before anyone we're gone-"

"I think someone already noticed." Trish cleared her throat, smirking at the two. Dez was standing behind her, a goofy grin on his face.

"Oh, h-hey guys..." Ally awkwardly started. She could feel her cheeks heat up- she prayed the two didn't hear their previous conversation cause she'll never hear the end of it from Trish. "W-we're just- we're just about to go down. Hehe, w-what are you doing here?"

"Well, you suddenly disappeared earlier and Blondie here," the Latina gave Austin a pointed look "ran straight up here right after his performance so-"

"Wait, so you two are okay now?" Dez cut off Trish, pushing past her and walking closer to them.

Trish hit his arm. "What do you think, you doof?!"

"Ouch, I was just asking, you didn't have to hit me!" Dez complained, rubbing his arm.

"Of course I didn't, but you pushed me, so that's my payback." Trish snarled. The Redhead glared back at her but didn't say anything else. Austin took their silence as his cue to interject before anything else happens.

"Anyway, um..." he cleared his throat "Let's go down before they freak out about us not being there."

"Right." Ally agreed, grabbing Trish's hand and leading her down the stairs with Austin doing the same to Dez right behind them.

"We'll talk about it tomorrow."

When they got downstairs, nothing important seemed to have transpired- it's like they didn't even mind that the four of them were gone(and they probably really don't).

The night went on very smoothly after that, everyone got along well(except for Trish and Dez, though but that's a given) and it wasn't awkward nor was it tense between Austin and Ally. In fact, it could be said that all bad blood between them were gone- they have buried the hatched so to speak- it's like nothing even happened between them and they're suddenly best friends.

Before midnight though, they were all departing form the Moons mansion, mainly because Penny's flight to Africa the next day will be in the morning and they all decided to see her off and to support their family, so they have to get some sleep tonight.

"Thank you again, Mike and Mimi." Penny told the two Moons "For throwing this get together."

"Oh, it's nothing, really." Mike said "And it was Austin's idea, actually. This whole thing was planned out by Austin." he clapped the back of his son.

"Really, is that true, Austin?" Penny beamed at the young Blonde.

Austin sheepishly smiled "Hehe, y-yeah..." he could feel everyone's eyes on him, but especially Ally's doe yes, burning through him. "I, uh... I just thought that since you guys have been very helpful to us- I mean, you even let Ally baby- er, accompany me- so I think it's just fair to, you know..." he trailed off, shrugging.

"Thank you."

"Um... you're welcome." he smiled at them, avoiding the questioning look Ally was directing to him. She didn't get at all why he was willing to go through all those trouble just to show them his appreciation to them. Maybe she'll just ask him that some other time.

Everyone left he Moons residence after that.

* * *

The journey from the Moons Mansion back to their house(albeit it being short) was spent by Ally pondering about what Mike said about the party. That Austin was actually the one who planned it because as he thought that he felt the need to thank her family that much.

But to her though, it felt that it was more than just that, more than just a farewell party for her mother- but why else would Austin pull off something like that? She didn't really see any other reason. Maybe it was just her, maybe she was just overestimating everything and it really did mean to only thank them and give her mom a farewell party.

She sighed and shook her head as she got out of the car and walked up to their house.

"Hey mom is it okay if I don't help you finish packing tonight?" she asked just before she entered the house. "I'm a little tire but I promise I'll help you with your checklist tomorrow before you go."

"That's okay, Ally." Penny smiled at her. "I know you're tired. I can finish packing by myself- your father can help me- I haven't got that many to pack up, anyway."

She nodded "Thanks, mom." then she headed up to her room, quickly shedding off her dress and changing into her more comfortable PJs and lying on her soft, warm bed, pondering about the events of the day.

For one thing, Austin and her are okay again- he had apologized to her for like the tenth time and she had finally forgiven him(even though she had secretly already forgiven him after his third apology). Another thing thing is that her mom is going to Africa the next morning and she knew that once her mom was gone, even more drastic changes will happen in her life- not to mention her parents' divorce papers are being passed up in a month or so.

"Yeah, this is definitely the way to start senior year." she murmured, running a hand through her Brown locks and closing her eyes.

A sighed escaped her. Maybe all she needs for now is sleep. Yup, that's all she needed and wanted: a long dreamless and blissful goodnight's sleep.

And she started to drift off to sleep, trying her best to just blend into everything and not worry about anything. But though she didn't worry about her mom's departure the next day, her thoughts did end up on the Blonde pop star that has been slowly tilting her well balanced world upside down, inside out the past few weeks.

'_He had prepared the party for me- for us._' she thought '_Well, at least we're okay now._'

A smile made its way to her lips. The thought of actually being friends with someone like him wasn't really bad- no, not at all.

He seemed genuine to her as well and that made her even more happy.

It was enough to put her into a very oblivious slumber(which somehow has provided her a safe haven for the time being) before she got rudely woken up by her alarm clock early next morning.

Her hand blindly searched for the annoyingly ringing clock on her bedside table, hoping to shut it up as soon as possible.

A grunt escaped her lips as she slammed the alarm clock off, maybe if she just continued sleeping then nothing will change- like time would just stop and she'd be stuck in that moment yesterday: when everything seemed to be fine because her mom was still there with her and she and Austin were friends(she was slightly worried that being friends with Austin was just a dream) and she's spending time with her favorite people.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen because her alarm on her phone went off not five minutes later.

She wanted nothing but to throw her pone across the room at that moment but she didn't she just turned off the alarm and sat up on her bed.

Ally was usually a morning person and she enjoyed the weekend but knowing what day it was today- she wasn't too happy about it.

A soft knock brought her out of her daze then she heard a voice. "Ally, dear? Are you up?" it was her dad.

She let out a small grunt, squaring her shoulders. "I'm up." she confirmed.

"Okay, good. Breakfast is ready. Be down in fifteen minutes, okay?"

"Thirty minutes, dad." she called back as she got up from her and head to her bathroom. Usually, fifteen minutes was enough for her to get ready but today, she was going to take her time.

Half an hour later(or maybe a little more) she was all washed up and made her way down stairs. She was wearing a Teal knee-length dress and a White bolero jacket/cardigan and cream-colored flats.

"Ally, honey, are you okay? You're walking like a Zombie..."

"Thanks, dad. Just what I needed to hear to lighten up my mood." she sarcastically said as she took a chair to sit on at the table.

"Aw, you're welcome, honey." Lester smiled at her, obviously not getting the sarcasm in her words.

She rolled her eyes(yeah, she could really be grumpy sometimes), but didn't retaliate anymore. "Where's mom?" she asked instead.

"In the backyard. You might wanna give her a little time off, she's saying goodbye to her flowers."

She let out a small chuckle. "That's okay." then she got up from her chair, picking up the piece of toast on her plate then heading out to their backyard

There she saw her mom, staring off into space. Her mom looked so serene just standing there, that she dared not to disturb her. So, she thought Penny didn't notice her because she hasn't said anything until after a few more beats of silence.

"I remember the first time you had a friend to come over here, it was when you were in the first grade, no older than 7 and Trish was about the same age." she started "You two were so happy playing around in this very backyard. I remember seeing the brightest smile plastered upon your face when you got your dad to pretend to be a horse so you and Trish could ride on his back." Ally giggled, she remembered that day. Oh, what wouldn't she give up just to have everything like that again.

"And then, about a month later, your dad bought a swing set and slide for you and Trish to play on because he grew tired of carrying both of you on his back; although, it did take a while before you actually got to use it because he decided to assemble it himself..."

"He didn't want to hire someone to do it because he said that a good father would do it himself." Ally added in, an amused tone in her voice.

"But really he just didn't want to spend more money to pay someone to do it- I'm quite surprised that he bought you a swing set _and_ a slide, in the first place."

Ally giggled. Oh, how cheap her father was. "It was worth it." she said.

Her mom looked at her and smiled. "Then a few years later, we bought you a life sized doll house. You'd play 'Pretend' with your Trish for hours in there, we had to try so many things just to get you two out of there. It also became your safe haven when you were in a bad or sad or mad mood. Like that time you got your first ever B- in seventh grade, it was probably your last, too. The same year your father decided to buy Sonic Boom- oh, how furious I was at him when he did that, but then you found out and you were so happy that you even volunteered to be the only employee there."

"I remember that day. It was one of my favorite days ever. Sonic Boom means a lot to me."

"I know; that's why I decided not to sell it after your father bought it-"

"You wanted to _sell_ Sonic Boom?!" she gasped, gaping at her mother.

"At first, yes. I wanted to sell Sonic Boom." her mom shrugged as if it was not big deal. But the thing is, it was! She couldn't even imagine her life without Sonic Boom! How was she only knowing about this now?!

"I didn't think it was good idea to have business at that time, plus the fact that he used half of your college funds on that place." Penny explained, seeing the panicked look in her daughter's eyes. "Your dad tried to convince me multiple times about not selling it again but I was determined to sell it, until I saw you work there and I realized that I couldn't do that- I couldn't sell Sonic Boom because even though we've only had it for about a month, I knew that Sonic Boom is very important to you. It made you happy being there and there's nothing more that I want than for you to be happy because that makes me happy."

"Wow... thanks, mom."

"Ally, you're the most important person in my life and I love you so much. I hope you understand that I accepted the job in Africa because I wan what's best for you- I know how much you want to go to M.U.N.Y. next year and sending you there costs a lot, but I'm willing to do anything just to help you fulfill your dreams- even if I have to be in another continent to do it."

A wave of sadness over took Ally- she never thought about their situation that way. And again, she realized that even with her own sacrifices, her mom and dad still would carry her burdens for her, they would still sacrifices for her- oh, why would life be so cruel to her?!

"You didn't have to do that, mom. I don't eve think I can get to M.U.N.Y. because of my stupid stage fright." she said, shrugging. "I don't want you to go to Africa thinking that you're only working there for me to go to M.U.N.Y., I want you to go there because that's what you love to do- to travel across the world to take care of endangered animals- Africa needs you mom. You're doing what you love to do and that makes me happy. And even if I don't get in to M.U.N.Y., I can always go to other universities; Florida Sate University, Florida International University, and University of Florida are all offering me scholarships."

She was suddenly engulfed in a tight hug from her mother. "I am so proud of you, Ally." Penny murmured to her ear, sniffling a cry.

"I'm proud of you, too, mom. You're finally doing something you love and I am so happy for you."

When they pulled away Penny wiped some tears off of Ally's cheeks- she hadn't even realize she was crying until then.

"Now, come on, let's go eat before your father finishes all those cookies I made."

Ally only laughed a reply before they went inside.

And though they were still reluctant to it, at around 9 a.m. the Dawsons left their house to accompany Penny to the Miami International Airport.

* * *

"There they are!" Austin pointed across the airport to a family of three. "Hey, guys! Ally, Penny, Mr. Dawson!" he shouted, waving at them.

The Blonde and his parents walked up to them as fast as possible through the horde of people walking here and there across he airport.

Once the three Moons reached them, the adults immediately greeted each other; Penny and Mimi hugging and Mike and Lester shaking hands, while Austin and Ally greeted each other with awkward nods. Yeah, they still aren't used to being friends and all that.

Shortly after that the Dela Rosas and Wades came, too. They were greeting one another, not caring that they were causing a little hold up in the middle of the airport.

"Thank you all for coming. This really means a lot to me." Penny told them.

"Take care in Africa, Penny." Mr, Dela Rosa said.

"Yeah, keep those animals in line, Penny!" Dez added. They all laughed.

"Will do, Dez. Will do."

They all engaged in their own conversations and Austin took it as his chance to clear things up with Ally- to finalize that they are on good terms now- and that they are now friends instead of just acquaintances.

"So, how're you feeling?" he said, rocking his feet back and forth as he stood beside her, looking at anything but her. His eyes landed on a family of three; a father, a mother and their young daughter that somehow triggered a memory in his minds; about this girl who what the brightest smile that he has ever seen, but he couldn't picture her face that clear- it was like a blurred picture from his memories.

"I um..." he was brought out of his daze as she spoke. She was caught off guard when he started to talk to her but she then answered "Well, I really know... I mean, of course I'm not happy about this but my mom is doing what she love, so you know... I can't really blame her for leaving, plus she's also doing this to help with our finances..."

"Oh..." was all he said in reply.

'_Nice going, Austin!_' he scolded himself '_You can't strike up a conversation with her and not exert effort to keep it going. Come on, say something else to her- comfort her for goodness' sake!_'

Before he could redeem himself though, it was already time for them to say goodbye to Penny.

"Flight A7-42 to Uganda, Africa is now boarding. Al passengers please proceed to gate 5."

"That's me..." Penny said, her voice quivering and threatening to crack, her eyes were already filled with tears.

Ally tackled her mom into a tight hug, the tears in her eyes set free and cascaded down her cheeks, like waterfalls. "Do you really have to go now?" she cried.

Her mom returned her hug, rubbing her back and beginning to cry as well. "I have to; I'm really sorry, princess. I'll be back as soon as I can, okay? And I promise we'll talk everyday- I'll call you, send you good morning and goodnight texts everyday. But you have to let me go, honey, I still have to say goodbye to the others and your father."

She nodded but didn't let her go. She just held on to her mom, memorizing every single thing about her- the smell of her hair, its color, the color and shape of her eyes, even the small wrinkles on the brow of her forehead and the crease on the side of her lips.

Unfortunately, Lester pried her off of Penny. "Come on, Ally, you have to let you mother go."

She reluctantly pulled away. And if felt exactly like that day when she had embarrassed her self in front of their whole class. It was the day that she was going to perform the Butterfly Song but then Tilly Thompson heartlessly criticized her just before the recital and she chickened out and didn't want to perform anymore. So her mom decided to persuade her into performing, carrying her out of the supply closet of the school theater and brought her back to the theater. She clung on to her mom for dear life that day, never wanting to let go because she was suddenly terrified of performing and when she got on stage, she went mute and couldn't perform anymore.

She had never wished anything that day than how she should've have not let go of her mom, until now.

While everybody else said goodbye to Penny, Austin took his chance to talk to Ally again, to comfort her. He stood beside her and brought out his handkerchief. "Here," he offered it to her.

She looked up at him, wiping away the tears from her cheeks. "It's okay, I have-"

"Just take it." he insisted, waving the hanky in front of her, "Come on, this is the least I could do."

"But-"

"No buts."

She reluctantly took it from him, yet somehow still managed to look grateful at him. "Thank you." she mumbled to him.

A sense of accomplishment rushed through him when he saw her use his lucky Red handkerchief; somehow it made him feel like he accomplished something- like he had broken down a barrier between them.

"You're welcome." he smiled, finally looking directly into her eyes.

"Austin, come and say goodbye to Penny." his mom beckoned for him.

He did as he was told, walking closer to Ally's mom. Suddenly he was pulled into a hug by Penny.

At first he was surprised by the sudden hug buy soon hugged Penny back.

"I will." he promised. And he really meant it. Because there was just something about Ally that made him want to care for her, like his new goal now into having a good relationship with her was not just to become friends with her but to protect her too- even if Penny didn't ask him to look after Ally, he probably would still do it.

After that, Penny went ahead to gate 5 and they waved goodbye at her as she boarded the plane. It took a lot for Ally to not run and stop her mom from going but she managed to restrain herself.

She didn't notice it until they were leaving the airport but, apparently, she had been holding on to Austin's handkerchief the whole time like her life line- it kinda served as a security blanket of some sort.

"Hey, Austin..." she quietly called to him as they exited the airport.

He turned to her, eyes filled with curiosity. They were walking behind from the rest.

"Here..." she offered the hanky back to him.

He tilted his head, eyebrows raised in an amused manner. "It's okay," he chuckled "I want you to keep it."

"But-"

"Haven't I told you before: No buts." there was a light soft smile on his face as he told her this. And she couldn't help but get affected by it- there was something about it that made her feel better about everything.

Ally retracted her hand and clutched the handkerchief tighter. "Okay, thanks again. For this, for everything, really."

"And again, it's the least I could do."

He waved goodbye at her as he and his parents head back to their car like she and her dad did.

Somehow, he didn't mind giving her his lucky Red handkerchief(which was the same hanky that he uses on his concerts). But today, he doesn't really mind losing it. It kinda felt like that day when he "lost" his Grey Beanie at the small ice cream shop when he was nine. Only this time, at least, he knew who he "lost" it to.

* * *

**A/N: Guyssss, I am soooooo, sooooo sorry for not updating soon enough... I know, I know, you probably hate me for making you wait this long and really I am sooo, sooo sorry. :( I have a lot of explaining to do. So here it goes, as I have already mention before in my Auslly one-shot series I had a lot in my plate the past month so I had to focus on those first because school is still my top priority but now, that that is over, I can finally say that writing the future chapters of IYAA are already on their way. So, fear not.**

**[1]: The Scientist by Coldplay. But you guys probably know that already...**

**Although, I have to say that I am a little behind schedule of how I initially planned this because it's already December and I was planning to dedicate at least a chapter or two with Christmas themes on it. However, since those Christmas themed chapters are actually essential to the story I would still put them up sometime next January I guess. That's just a heads up for you guys. But that's it, really. The seventh chapter is on its way so I'm hoping update will be next week.**

**Anyway, how'd you all like this chapter? I hope I didn't disappoint you with Austin's apology and all that since the last chapter kind of built up the whole apology stuff. Let me know what you think in the reviews, I'd really appreciate it. :D If you have any questions, never hesitate to ask me, I promise I don't bite. **

**As always, more to come and thank you all for your support. Well, that's it for now, see you all next time! **

**Up Next: Progress between Austin and Ally and something about numbers and school... haha that's the only thing I will tell for now. ;D **

**~Lou**


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